BX  5199   .L48  T48 
Thompson,  Henry  Lewis,  1840 
Henry  George  Liddell,  D.D. , 
Dean  of  Christ  Church, 


I 


HENRY  GEORGE  LIDDELL,  D.D. 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arcliive 
in  2015 


littps://arcliive.org/details/lienrygeorgeliddeOOtliom_0 


Henry  George  LidS'ell 

Ik. 

D.  D. 

DEAN  OF  CHRIST  CHURCH,  OXFORD 
A  MEMOIR 


BY  THE 

REV.  HENRY  L.  THOMPSON,  M.A 

VICAR  OF  ST.  MARY  THE  VIRGIN,  OXFORD 
SOMETIME  STUDENT  AND  CENSOR  OF  CHRIST  CHURCH 


WITH  PORTRAITS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 


HENRY 


NEW  YORK 
HOLT  AND  COMPANY 
1899 


PREFACE 


This  memoir  has  been  compiled  at  the  request 
of  Mrs.  Licldell,  and  has  had  the  advantage  of  her 
constant  encouragement. 

Many  friends  of  the  late  Dean  have  most  kindly 
contributed  to  the  volume  their  recollections  of  his 
life  at  various  times  and  under  different  aspects. 
Their  contributions  have,  as  far  as  possible,  been 
duly  acknowledged. 

The  compiler  of  the  memoir  may  himself  claim, 
without  presumption,  to  write  with  an  authority 
based  upon  adequate  knowledge.  It  was  his  good 
fortune  to  be  admitted  to  Westminster  School  by 
Mr.  Liddell  in  185 1.  For  four  years  he  was  under 
him  there,  and  rose  to  be  a  member  of  his  Sixth 
Form.  From  1858  to  1877  was  a  resident 
student  of  Christ  Church,  and  as  undergraduate. 
Tutor,  and  Censor,  was  brought  into  very  varied 
and  often  very  intimate  relations  with  the  Dean. 
The  friendship  which  he  was  thus  privileged  to 
enjoy  extended  over  nearly  half  a  century,  and  was 
only  ended  by  the  Dean's  death. 


vi  Preface 

The  story  of  Dean  Liddell's  life,  clown  to  the  year 
1834,  has  been  largely  drawn  from  his  letters  to  his 
parents,  and  from  a  MS.  autobiography  which  he 
wrote  in  his  old  age  for  the  instruction  of  his 
children,  but  which  unfortunately  terminates  at  that 
early  date. 

He  was  never  a  great  letter- writer,  and  during 
his  long  residence  at  Oxford,  where  he  was  able 
to  meet  his  chief  friends  in  daily  intercourse,  his 
correspondence  was  not  voluminous.  There  exist, 
however,  a  good  many  letters  addressed  to  Robert 
Scott  and  H.  Halford  Vaughan,  which  have  been 
courteously  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  writer,  and 
from  which  quotations  have  been  freely  made.  Sir 
Henry  W.  Acland,  his  oldest  living  friend,  has 
contributed  many  charming  reminiscences  ;  and  from 
the  letters  written  to  him  by  Dr.  Liddell,  when  both 
had  retired  from  active  life,  some  interesting  selec- 
tions have  been  made. 

The  arrangement  of  the  narrative  is  designedly 
unmethodical,  especially  in  that  portion  which  deals 
with  the  long  period  of  his  life  as  Dean.  It  has 
been  thought  best  to  mention  subjects  as  they  were 
naturally  suggested,  rather  than  to  arrange  events 
in  a  strict  chronological  sequence. 

The  writer  desires  to  express  his  cordial  thanks 
to  the  many  friends  who  have  given  advice  and 
help,  and  especially  to  the  Rev.  T.  Vere  Bayne, 
his  former  colleague  as  Tutor  and  Censor,  whose 
uninterrupted  residence  at  Christ  Church  for  more 
than  fifty  years  has  made  him  an  almost  final 


Preface 


vii 


authority  on  all  matters  connected  with  its  history 
since  1848,  and  whose  vigilant  criticism  has  been 
most  kindly  and  most  usefully  applied  to  the  revision 
of  the  proof-sheets  of  a  work  in  which  he  has  taken 
a  very  warm  interest  from  the  beginning. 

Thanks  are  due  to  Mr.  Ryman  Hall  for  permission 
to  reproduce  the  crayon  portrait  by  Mr.  George 
Richmond,  R.A. 

Oxford, 
April,  1899.. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I. 

Childhood  and  Schooldays  (1811-1829)  .      .      .      .  i 
CHAPTER  n. 

Life  at  Christ  Church  (1830-46)  13 

CHAPTER  ni. 

The  Lexicon  65 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Headmastership  of  Westminster  (1846-55)  ...  86 
CHAPTER  V. 

Deanery  of  Christ  Church  (1855-91)    .      .      -  -134 
CHAPTER  VL 

Deanery  of  Christ  Church  {continued)  .      .      ,  .166 

CHAPTER  Vn. 
Deanery  of  Christ  Church  {coniimmi)  .      .      .  .231 

CHAPTER  VHL 
Home  Life  249 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Resignation  of  the  Deanery  and  after-life  (1892-8)  265 

Index  281 

b 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Portrait  by  Cruikshank   To  face  fi.  28 

„         „  George  Richmond,  R.A.        .      .  Frontispiece 

„         „  G.  F.  Watts,  R.A.  .       ...  To  face  p.  238 

„         „  H.  Herkomer,  R.A   „  265 

The  Chaplains'  Quadrangle,  Christ  Church  .  „  16 

The  Monster 

Christ  Church  Cathedral  in  1813    .      .      .  To  face  p.  149 

Christ  Church  Cathedral  (1856-1S70)     .      .  ,,154 

Christ  Church  Cathedral  after  restoration  „  158 

The  Great  Quadrangle  from  a  drawing  made 

IN  1856   „  161 

The  Great  Quadrangle  after  restoration    .  ,,  164 

Bloti'ing-paper  Sketches  by  Ukan  Liddell 


Between  pp.  194  and  195 

The  Deanery,  Christ  Church,  from  the  Garden  To  face  p.  249 

The  Gate  in  Christ  Church  Cloisters  leading 

to  Dean  Liddell's  Grave     ....         „  278 


THE  LIFE 


OF 

HENRY  GEORGE  LIDDELL 


CHAPTER  I 

CHILDHOOD  AND  SCHOOLDAYS 

Henry  George  Liddell  was  born  on  February 
6,  1811.  He  was  the  eldest  child  of  the  Rev. 
Henry  George  Liddell,  whose  elder  brother,  Sir 
Thomas  Liddell  of  Ravensworth,  was  created  Baron 
Ravensworth  at  the  coronation  of  George  IV. 
This  peerage,  advanced  to  an  earldom  in  1874, 
was  a  revival  of  a  barony  created  in  1745,  which 
became  extinct  in  1784.  He  was  thus  a  member, 
on  his  father's  side,  of  an  ancient  and  honourable 
family  of  the  county  of  Durham,  and  his  mother, 
Charlotte  Lyon,  was  fourth  daughter  of  the  Hon. 
Thomas  Lyon,  brother  of  the  eighth  Earl  of 
Strathmore. 

He  was  born  at  Binchester,  'a  good  square 
stone  house  placed  on  an  eminence  facing  the 
Bishop's   Palace  at  Auckland,  and  distant  from 

B 


2 


Childhood  and  Schooldays 


[CH.  I 


that  town  about  a  mile.'  It  belonged  then  to 
the  Lyon  family,  but  was  afterwards  bought  by 
Bishop  Van  Mildert  and  pulled  down.  Here  Mr. 
Liddell  and  his  wife  lived,  with  his  wife's  brothers 
and  sisters,  serving  his  first  curacy  in  the  adjoin- 
ing parish  of  South  church.  He  was  soon  promoted 
to  the  benefice  of  Redmarshall,  near  Stockton,  and 
then  to  the  Rectory  of  Boldon,  a  village  on  the 
high  road  between  Newcastle-on-Tyne  and  Sunder- 
land. Boldon  was  thus  the  home  of  the  family 
during  the  childhood  and  boyhood  of  the  future 
Dean.  He  describes  himself  as  a  studious  boy, 
fond  of  the  children's  books  of  the  day,  such  as 
Mrs.  Sherwood's  and  Miss  Edgeworth's  tales,  Sand- 
ford  and  Merton,  Robinson  Crusoe,  and  the  Swiss 
Family  Robinson. 

'  On  my  sixth  birthday  I  was  promised  a  great 
honour  and  reward.  My  father  took  me  up  into 
his  study  and  inducted  me  into  the  mysteries  of 
the  Eton  Latin  Grammar.  I  remember  the  day, 
the  place,  and  the  fact  as  clearly  as  if  it  were 
yesterday.  I  continued  to  make  pretty  good  pro- 
gress under  his  kind  teaching;  but  I  fear  that  as 
I  went  on  from  day  to  day  I  did  not  regard  the 
honour  so  great  as  I  did  on  the  first  day.' 

At  the  early  age  of  eight,  as  was  usual  in 
those  days,  came  the  first  great  sorrow  and  separa- 
tion in  his  life — his  transference  from  the  bright 
country  home  to  the  rough  discipline  of  a  private 
school.  He  was  sent  with  his  younger  brother 
Thomas,  who  was  but  seven  years  old,  to  Bishop- 


CH.  l] 


Private  School 


3 


ton  Grove,  a  house  standing  a  little  distance  from 
the  road  leading  from  Ripon  to  Studley  Royal. 
The  school  was  kept  by  a  Mr,  Weidemann,  a 
choleric  man  and  an  indifferent  teacher. 

'  In  the  course  of  a  long  life,  I  have  not  es- 
caped several  sharp  and  severe  sorrows,  though 
I  have  to  thank  God  for  blessings  far  exceeding 
the  sufferings.  But  I  do  not  think  that  any  sorrow 
of  youth  or  manhood  equalled  in  intensity  and 
duration  the  blank  and  hopeless  misery  which 
followed  the  wrench  of  transference  from  a  happy 
home  to  a  school  such  as  that  which  received 
us  in  the  summer  of  1819.  I  remember,  as  if  it 
was  yesterday,  the  sinking  of  heart,  the  sense  of 
desolation,  the  utter  despair,  the  wish  that  I  could 
die  on  the  spot,  when  my  kind  and  loving  father 
parted  with  us  in  the  Master's  study,  and  passing 
out  of  the  green  gate  of  the  little  garden  in  front 
of  the  house,  disappeared  from  sight.  His  heart, 
as  he  told  me  afterwards,  was  as  heavy  as  ours. 
But  we  did  not  then  know  this.' 

It  was  a  rough  place,  with  little  kindness,  un- 
intelligent teaching,  the  frequent  use  of  the  cane, 
and  the  inevitable  bullying. 

'We  little  boys  were  made  to  sit  at  the  long 
desks  with  our  hands  over  our  eyes ;  and  certain 
big  fellows,  having  needles  fixed  in  little  balls  of 
sealing-wax,  blew  these  missiles  through  pea- 
shooters, so  as  to  pin  our  ears  to  our  heads.' 

In  September  1823,  at  the  age  of  twelve,  Liddell 
was  entered  at  Charterhouse  School,  where  he 

B  2 


4 


Childhood  and  Schooldays 


remained  till  1829.  The  long  journey  from  Boldon 
occupied  four  days.  His  description  of  the  school 
as  it  then  was  is  worth  recording,  for  at  that 
time,  under  the  famous  Headmaster  Dr.  Russell, 
it  occupied  a  leading  position  among  English 
Public  Schools,  and  in  numbers  nearly  equalled 
Eton.  On  the  night  after  his  arrival  in  London, 
his  cousin,  Robert  Liddell,  afterwards  the  well- 
known  Vicar  of  St.  Paul's,  Knightsbridge,  took 
him  to  Mr,  Watkinson's  house  in  Charterhouse 
Square. 

'  Here  I  was  turned  into  the  '  Long  Room,' 
a  low,  dark,  dirty  apartment,  measuring  (I  should 
think)  about  70  feet  by  15,  with  an  excrescence 
at  the  upper  end,  added  to  accommodate  in- 
creasing numbers  of  boys.  Here  we  breakfasted, 
dined,  and  supped ;  and  this  was  our  only  sitting- 
room.  The  upper  boys  had  cupboards  between 
the  windows,  and  a  sort  of  table-desk  in  front  of 
each  cupboard,  so  that  the  doors  of  the  cupboards 
being  open  they  formed  a  sort  of  screen,  and 
enabled  them  to  read  and  write  in  comparative 
privacy.  The  lower  boys  sat  on  benches  placed 
along  the  dining  tables,  and  while  the  upper  boys 
were  at  work  were  compelled,  on  pain  of  prompt 
punishment,  to  keep  absolute  silence.  The  upper 
fire  was  reserved  for  the  upper  boys.  At  the 
lower  end  was  another  fire,  to  which  the  lower 
boys  were  allowed  to  go ;  but  the  little  fellows 
did  not  see  much  of  it.  Each  boy  had  a  small 
locker  of  two  shelves,  in  which  he  kept  his  books 
and  whatever  else  he  chose.  .  .  .  The  only  place 
we  had  to  wash  in  was  a  narrow  room,  with 


cH.  I]  At  Charterhottse 


5 


leaden  troughs  on  either  side,  and  cocks  to  supply- 
water,  which  was  caught  in  small  leaden  or  pewter 
basins.  Unless  we  found  our  own  towels,  we  had 
nothing  wherewith  to  dry  ourselves  but  a  long 
roller-towel  behind  the  door.  Considering  that 
London  was  not  much  cleaner  than  it  is  to-day, 
it  must  not  be  wondered  at  if  we  boys,  especially 
the  little  ones,  were  not  remarkable  for  cleanli- 
ness. On  Saturday  and  Sunday,  however,  when  we 
went  out  to  visit  friends,  we  managed  to  make  our- 
selves tolerably  smart.  I  really  wonder  how  this  was 
achieved  ;  the  circumstances  were  not  favourable. 

'  The  bedrooms  were  small  and  crowded.  In 
the  room  in  which  I  was  placed  there  were  five 
beds,  with  not  much  space  round  them.  Next 

me  was  a  fellow  named  ,  who  became  the 

plague  of  my  life.  He  delighted  in  teasing  and 
vexing  me  in  every  way  he  could.  One  morning 
I  woke  and  found  my  hair  sticking  to  the  pillow. 
Getting  it  loose,  I  found  the  whole  pillow  soaked 
with  blood,  and  there  was  a  boot  (of  the  kind 
in  those  days  called  Bluchers)  lying  near  my  head. 

It  turned  out  that  I  had  been  snoring,  and  had 

thrown  his  boot  at  me  and  hit  me  on  the  nose. 
However,  it  could  not  have  been  much  of  a  blow, 
as  it  failed  to  wake  me.  I  suppose  it  stopped 
my  snoring. 

'  I  do  not  retain  so  vivid  a  recollection  of  my 
early  days  at  Charterhouse  as  of  Bishopton.  I 
only  know  I  detested  both.  One  of  my  letters 
preserved  by  my  dear  father  is,  after  three  years' 
experience,  dated  "  Beastly  Charterhouse." 

'  Dr.  Russell  was  a  revolutionary  schoolmaster. 
He   introduced   what  was  called  the  "  Bell  and 


6 


Childhood  and  Schooldays 


[CH.  I 


Lancaster  system "  into  the  school ;  that  is,  the 
lessons  were  taught  in  the  lower  Forms  by  boys, 
and  heard  by  the  Masters.  In  order  to  rise  from 
one  Form  to  another,  except  in  the  lowest  and  the 
highest  Forms,  a  boy  had  to  serve  as  Praepositus 
or  teacher  of  a  Form  for,  I  think,  six  weeks ; 
and,  as  I  have  said,  the  Master  came  round  and 
heard  the  lesson  as  it  had  been  prepared  under 
the  direction  of  the  boy-teacher,  who  was  also 
responsible  for  the  order  and  good  conduct  of  the 
Form  during  school-hours.  It  was  a  system  devised 
to  save  expense  in  Masters,  and  no  doubt  it  was 
not  without  advantage  to  the  teaching  boys,  though 
the  benefit  received  by  the  taught  was  doubtful. 
But  to  a  boy  who  was  not  physically  strong,  the 
office  was  a  sore  burthen ;  and  to  those  who  were 
not  mentally  strong,  it  was  a  waste  of  time  both  to 
themselves  and  to  their  Form.  I  served  as  Prae- 
positus, I  think,  three  times,  and  hated  it  extremely. 
One  of  the  Masters,  Andrew  Irvine,  a  Scotsman 
(afterwards  incumbent  of  a  parish  in  Leicester, 
I  think,  and  a  notable  preacher),  used  to  go  about 
the  school  roaring  at  the  luckless  Praepositi. 
'■  Liddell,"  I  remember  him  shouting  to  me,  "  you're 
as  saft  as  butter  !  "  .  .  .  Every  half-hour  the  Form 
was  required  to  stand  up,  for  change  of  posture, 
for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  (I  think  these  were  the 
appointed  times).  Old  Watkinson — Watkey,  we 
called  him — came  by  and  said,  "  Liddell,  why  is 
not  your  Form  standing  ? "  "I  beg  pardon.  Sir,"  I 
said,  "  I  did  not  observe  the  time."  "  You,  Sir," 
he  shouted,  ''you  not  know  the  time !  You,  who 
make  more  show  with  your  watch  than  any  boy 
in  the  school !  "   This  was  in  allusion  to  a  crimson 


CH.  I]  Dy.  Russeirs  Teaching 


7 


silk  watch-guard,  which  passed  round  my  neck, 
and  after  meandering  over  my  waistcoat  was 
attached  to  the  watch  in  the  pocket.  Rough 
treatment  of  this  sort  was  not  calculated  to  en- 
courage shy  or  timid  boys. 

'  When  we  got  into  the  upper  school,  consist- 
ing of  the  two  head  Forms,  one  was  delivered 
from  this  servitude  of  teaching.  But  Russell's 
tongue  (he  heard  the  lessons  of  these  Forms  himself) 
was  not  always  under  control.  Many  of  us  had 
a  rough  time  of  it  even  there.  Once,  I  remember 
(I  know  not  on  what  occasion),  he  told  me  "  I  was 
as  lazy  as  I  was  long,  and  should  bring  down  my 
father's  grey  hairs  with  sorrow  to  the  grave." 
I  was  no  doubt  somewhat  listless,  having  out- 
grown my  strength,  but  I  hardly  deserved  this 
reproach.  It  certainly  did  me  no  good.  ...  It  was 
long  before  I  shook  this  listlessness  off,  if  indeed 
I  have  ever  done  so.  Canning  used  to  apply  to 
me  the  words  in  Tennyson's  Miller  s  Daughter, 

"  To  be  the  long  and  listless  boy. 
Late-left  an  orphan  of  the  Squire," 

though  the  last  line  certainly  was  inapplicable. 

*  One  of  Dr.  Russell's  rules  was  to  constitute 
a  Form  between  the  Sixth  and  Fifth  {or,  as  he  would 
say,  the  First  and  Second),  which  he  called  the 
Emeriti,  i,  e.  those  who  had  served  their  time  in 
lower  Forms,  and  were  entitled  to  be  placed  in 
the  Sixth  as  vacancies  occurred.  Before  joining 
the  Emeriti,  we  were  obliged  to  learn  all  the  Odes 
and  Epodes  of  Horace  by  heart,  and  to  be  able 
without  book  to  translate  them  and  answer  all 
questions — grammatical,  geographical,  and  historical. 
I  achieved  this  task,  but  with  much  labour  ;  for 


8 


Childhood  and  Schooldays 


I  never  had  that  facility  which  many  others  have 
of  retaining  in  memory  the  actual  words  of  poets 
or  others.  However,  I  succeeded  at  last  in  satisfy- 
ing the  Doctor.  Then  came  a  time  of  blissful 
ease  and  indolence.  The  Emeriti  were  supposed 
to  learn  the  same  lessons  as  the  Sixth.  They 
were,  however,  seldom  called  on  to  exhibit  their 
knowledge,  but  were  expected  to  sit  in  rapt  atten- 
tion, drinking  in  the  wisdom  displayed  by  the  head 
Form,  corrected  as  it  was  and  amplified  by  the 
Master's  turgid  style.  It  needed,  one  would  have 
thought,  no  great  knowledge  of  boy-nature  to 
predict  the  consequences.  We  did  not  trouble 
ourselves  to  prepare  the  lesson ;  and  when,  on 
very  rare  occasions,  we  were  called  on  to  produce 
what  we  had  learnt,  or  were  supposed  to  have 
learnt,  great  was  the  consternation,  grievous  the 
display  of  ignorance,  and  vehement  the  wrath  of 
the  Doctor. 

'  Before  I  rose  to  a  place  in  this  curious  Form, 
it  was  my  lot  to  sit  next  W.  Makepeace  Thackeray. 
He  never  attempted  to  learn  the  lesson,  never 
exerted  himself  to  grapple  with  the  Horace.  We 
spent  our  time  mostly  in  drawing,  with  such  skill 
as  we  could  command.  His  handiwork  was  very 
superior  to  mine,  and  his  taste  for  comic  scenes 
at  that  time  exhibited  itself  in  burlesque  repre- 
sentations of  incidents  in  Shakespeare.  I  remember 
one — Macbeth  as  a  butcher  brandishing  two  blood- 
reeking  knives,  and  Lady  Macbeth  as  the  butcher's 
wife  clapping  him  on  the  shoulder  to  encourage 
him.  Thackeray  went  to  Cambridge,  and  I  never 
met  him  after  we  left  school  till  I  went  to 
Westminster    as    Headmaster    in    1846.  After 


CH.  I] 


Religioiis  Teaching 


9 


that  he  often  used  to  join  Mrs.  Liddell  and  myself 
when  riding  in  Rotten  Row.  On  one  occasion 
he  turned  to  her  and  said  :  "  Your  husband  ruined 
all  my  prospects  in  life ;  he  did  all  my  Latin 
verses  for  me,  and  I  lost  all  opportunities  of 
self-improvement."  It  is  needless  to  add  that  this 
was  a  pure  fiction — I  had  trouble  enough  to  do 
my  own  verses.  At  this  time  Vanity  Fair  was 
coming  out  in  monthly  parts  in  its  well-known 
yellow  paper  covers.  He  used  to  talk  about 
it,  and  what  he  should  do  with  the  persons, 
Mrs.  Liddell  one  day  said,  "  Oh,  Mr,  Thackeray, 
you  must  let  Dobbin  marry  Amelia."  "  W ell,"  he 
replied,  "  he  shall ;  and  when  he  has  got  her,  he 
will  not  find  her  worth  having."  .  .  . 

'  As  to  religious  instruction,  we  were  not  better 
off  than  boys  in  most  of  the  schools  of  those 
days.  On  Sundays,  an  hour  before  church,  we 
were  assembled  in  the  great  schoolroom,  and  were 
called  on  to  read  parts  of  the  Bible,  each  boy  in 
his  turn  taking  a  single  verse.  The  Doctor  was 
very  particular  in  requiring  due  emphasis  to  be 
laid  on  words  and  phrases,  chiefly  (I  remember) 
by  means  of  a  pause  before  and  after  the  word 
or  phrase  to  be  emphasized.  Woe  betide  him 
who  failed  to  read  distinctly  and  make  the  proper 
pauses.  The  Doctor  roared  at  him,  just  as  in 
a  lesson  from  Euripides  or  Cicero.  I  remember 
I  used  to  count  the  verses  and  the  boys  above 
me,  to  see  which  verse  would  fall  to  my  lot,  and 
carefully  studied  how  to  read  it  with  due  attention 
to  the  prescribed  rules.  Generally,  I  succeeded 
pretty  well.  Sometimes,  however,  a  boy  read  so 
badly  that  the  next  to  him  had  to  read  the  verse 

c 


lO 


C J  did  J  100  d  and  Schooldays 


[CH.  I 


again.  This  put  my  calculation  out,  and  I  learnt 
as  a  precaution  to  study  one  or  two  verses  pre- 
ceding that  which  would  properly  come  to  me.  It 
was  not  a  bad  lesson  in  reading,  but  had  not 
much  of  religion  in  it.  ,  .  . 

'  When  I  was  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  I  was 
confirmed  with  others  by  Bishop  Blomfield.  His 
charge  to  us  boys  was  most  impressive.  I  re- 
member well  the  effect  it  had  on  myself,  and  the 
earnestness  with  which  I  prayed  for  help,  and 
the  good  resolutions  I  formed.  Many  of  these 
impressions  were  blurred  and  destroyed  in  the 
course  of  ordinary  school  life,  but  some  re- 
mained and  exerted  an  influence  over  all  my  days. 
Charterhouse,  indeed,  at  that  time,  in  common 
with  most  other  schools,  was  not  a  place  to  foster 
religious  impressions  or  to  bring  out  the  best  part 
of  a  boy's  nature.  I  believe  I  passed  through  the 
ordeal  with  less  scathe  than  many  others.  I  am 
sure  that  my  aspirations  rose  to  a  higher  level 
than  they  attained  at  the  wretched  Yorkshire 
school,  from  which  I  passed  to  the  great  London 
school.  Thank  God,  these  things  are  better 
now.  .  .  . 

'  In  July  or  August,  1829,  I  left  Charterhouse. 
Never  did  pilgrim  departing  from  an  inhospitable 
mansion  shake  the  dust  from  off  his  feet  with 
more  hearty  satisfaction  than  I  did  on  quitting  the 
noble  foundation  of  old  Thomas  Sutton.  It  grieves 
me  now,  when  I  see  how  differently  boys  regard 
their  old  schools,  to  think  how  cordially  I  hated 
both  my  own  places  of  education.  I  do  not  think 
it  was  entirely  my  own  fault.  What  I  have  written 
above  may  in   some  degree  justify  my  feelings. 


CH.  l] 


End  of  School  Life 


II 


But  I  was  too  happy  at  home  to  have  loved  any 
school. 

'  I  left  Charterhouse  a  fair  grammar  scholar,  but 
with  very  little  classical  reading.  Russell's  teaching 
did  not  favour  extensive  acquirement.  Four  or 
five  Greek  plays,  with  Porson's  notes,  two  or  three 
books  of  the  Iliad,  a  little  Pindar,  Cicero's  Offices 
and  some  of  his  Orations,  with  some  few  additions, 
constituted  the  bulk  of  what  we  read  in  school. 
But  we  learnt  by  heart  all  the  Odes  and  Epodes  of 
Horace  (as  I  have  before  said),  and  the  Georgics  of 
Virgil,  for  which  I  am,  and  have  been,  always  grate- 
ful. We  also  read  most  of  the  Satires  and  Epistles. 
But  Greek  Prose  was  almost  untrodden  ground. 
Herodotus  and  Thucydides  were  known  only  by 
name.  I  do  not  recollect  having  read  any  Greek 
Prose,  except  Plato's  Apology.  On  the  other  hand, 
I  devoured  a  large  quantity  of  English  Literature ; 
and  having  at  that  time  a  tolerably  retentive 
memory,  I  amassed  a  good  deal  of  general  infor- 
mation.' 

The  few  letters  which  help  to  illustrate  this 
period  of  Liddell's  life  are  mostly  written  to  his 
father,  his  constant  correspondent.  He  left 
Charterhouse  a  tall  thin  lad,  having  somewhat 
overgrown  his  strength.  He  had,  as  he  describes, 
been  well  trained  there  in  Greek  and  Latin, 
although  within  a  narrow  range  of  authors,  and 
had  read  a  good  deal  of  general  literature.  Of 
Mathematics  he  was  as  ignorant  as  the  average 
schoolboy ;  but  the  instruction  of  his  father's 
Curate  soon  made  up  the  deficiency,  and  when 

c  2 


12  Childhood  and  Schooldays 


he  began  residence  at  Oxford  he  had  already 
gained  some  acquaintance  with  Differential  Calculus 
and  Analytical  Geometry. 

It  was  delightful  beyond  measure  to  exchange 
smoky  London  for  the  country  home  in  the  north. 
That  home  was  indeed  no  longer  at  Boldon,  his 
father  having  recently  accepted  the  living  of 
Whickham,  a  village  two  miles  from  Ravensworth. 
It  may  seem  strange  that  school  life  had  no 
pleasing  memories  for  him ;  but  he  was  of 
a  somewhat  shy  and  reserved  disposition,  of 
studious  habits  and  tastes,  not  ready  to  make 
many  friends,  and  with  his  dearest  thoughts  and 
affections  centred  in  his  home.  And  a  home  so 
far  distant  from  London  had  not  been  easily 
accessible.  The  journey  by  coach  occupied  a  long 
while  and  cost  several  pounds.  It  was  therefore 
usual  for  Liddell  to  spend  the  shorter  holidays, 
at  Christmas  and  Whitsuntide,  with  his  aunts  at 
Bath,  or  at  Shotesham  Rectory  in  Norfolk  with 
his  aunt,  Mrs.  J.  Fellowes.  No  wonder  then  that 
home  visits  were  exceptionally  dear,  and  that  the 
prospect  of  spending  nearly  a  year  with  his  family, 
in  the  interval  between  school  and  college,  was 
eagerly  welcomed. 


CHAPTER  II 


LIFE  AT  CHRIST  CHURCH,  1830-1846 

Shortly  before  leaving  Charterhouse  in  the 
summer  of  1829,  Liddell  went  to  Oxford,  in  order 
that  he  might  be  entered  on  the  books  of  Christ 
Church,  He  was  matriculated  on  May  9.  The 
Dean  at  that  time  was  Dr.  Samuel  Smith,  who 
two  years  later  exchanged  the  Deanery  with  Dr. 
Gaisford  for  the  Golden  stall  at  Durham.  The 
Senior  Censor  was  Thomas  Vowler  Short,  after- 
wards Bishop  of  St.  Asaph. 

The  matriculation  completed,  Liddell  returned 
to  Charterhouse,  and  when  the  summer  holidays 
came,  he  travelled  home,  and  waited  there  for 
a  summons  into  residence  at  the  University.  This 
never  came,  and  after  Easter,  1830,  it  was  thought 
expedient  to  send  him  up  to  Oxford.  He  was 
unable  at  first  to  secure  rooms  in  college,  and  for 
a  fortnight  lived  at  the  Mitre  Hotel,  attending 
Chapel,  Lectures,  and  Hall  dinner.  He  ultimately 
was  assigned  small  rooms  in  the  now  demolished 
Chaplains'  Quadrangle. 


14 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


'  So  began  my  life  at  Christ  Church.  I  felt  very- 
solitary.  Not  a  single  man  in  college  did  I  know, 
except  Andrew  Dunlop,  an  old  Carthusian.  When 
there  was  a  knock  at  the  door,  I  looked  longingly 
for  the  person  entering,  hoping  that  some  one  had 
taken  compassion  upon  me.  I  was  very  shy,  and 
it  was  a  kind  of  penance  to  go  into  Chapel  or  Hall 
under  the  eyes  of  the  old  stagers  .  .  .  and  I  got  into 
the  habit  of  going  in  early  that  I  might  avoid  the 
supposed  inquisition  of  strange  eyes.  In  Lecture 
I  felt  more  at  ease.  My  Tutor,  Robert  Biscoe,  soon 
discovered  that  I  took  pains  in  preparing  my  work, 
and  used  to  appeal  to  me  to  correct  the  errors  or 
io;norances  of  some  of  the  other  men.  ...  In  Lecture 
I  was  now  first  introduced  to  the  intricacies  of 
Thucydides,  and  was  fain  to  have  recourse  to 
Hobbes'  translation,  which  however  was  nearly  as 
difficult  as  the  Greek.  It  was  the  first  time  in  my 
life  that  I  had  ever  used  a  "  Crib,"  and  I  do  not 
remember  that  I  ever  indulged  in  another  such 
assistance  till  I  had  to  grapple  with  the  Rhetoric 
and  Ethics  of  Aristotle. 

'  I  returned  to  Christ  Church,  of  course,  after  the 
Long  Vacation.  Soon  after  we  met,  my  Tutor 
intimated  to  me  that  there  was  to  be  an  Election 
to  Bishop  Fell's  Exhibitions,  and  that  I  was  to  be 
a  candidate.  One  of  the  conditions  for  election 
was  one  year's  previous  residence.  Now  I  had 
only  resided  for  the  two  short  Summer  Terms,  and 
a  few  days  of  the  Michaelmas  Term.  How  this 
difficulty  was  got  over,  I  know  not.  But  I  was 
admitted  as  a  candidate,  and  was  duly  elected,  to 
the  great  joy  of  myself  and  my  parents.  I  remember 
I  went  down  on  my  knees  and  thanked  God  that 


CH.  II]        Nominated  to  Studentship  15 


I  had  been  enabled  to  relieve  my  father  of  some 
portion  of  the  expense  of  my  education,  though,  as 
I  remarked  in  my  letter  announcing  the  fact,  "  £\o 
a  year  is  poor  interest  for  all  the  money  you  have 
spent  on  me." 

'On  December  15  of  the  same  year  I  wrote:  "  My 
dear  father  and  mother  :  Never  did  I  take  up  my  pen 
with  more  pleasure  than  I  do  now  to  tell  you  that 
I  have  this  day  received  intimation  from  the  Dean 
that  I  am  to  be  a  Student.  After  Collections  he 
called  me  up  and  said  that  Dr.  Dowdeswell  [a  non- 
resident Canon]  had  most  kindly  allowed  him  to 
nominate  a  Student  for  him ;  and  that  he  was  most 
glad  that  he  had  an  opportunity  of  showing  his 
entire  satisfaction  with  my  conduct  since  I  had 
become  a  member  of  Christ  Church."  To  explain 
this,  I  may  notice  that  in  those  days  the  Dean  and 
Canons  in  rotation  nominated  young  men  to  Student- 
ships. In  many  cases  these  nominations  were  mere 
matters  of  favour,  and  were  bestowed  on  the  sons 
of  Canons,  or  some  other  of  their  relations  and 
friends,  without  regard  to  merit.  But  the  Dean 
and  some  of  the  Canons  had  begun  of  late  to 
nominate  Commoners  of  the  House  on  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  Censors  and  Tutors,  and  to  such  a 
recommendation  my  appointment  was  due.  Robert 
Scott,  Fellow  and  then  Master  of  Balliol,  was  one  of 
the  batch  of  Students  appointed  at  the  same  time  ; 
and  he  also  was  recommended  for  merit :  the  rest 
all,  I  believe,  owed  their  nomination  to  favour  and 
interest.  Mr.  Gladstone  had  been  appointed  two 
years  before,  just  before  he  took  his  degree — better 
late  than  never. 

'  After  I  became  Student  I  had  not  to  complain  of 


I 


i6 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


solitariness.  Our  Mess  in  Hall  was  a  pleasant  one, 
and  I  had  to  resist,  rather  than  seek,  invitations.  .  .  . 
I  was  elected  to  the  Union  Debating  Society,  and 
heard  Gladstone  make  his  last  speech  there,  against 
the  Reform  Bill.  He  struck  me  as  equally  fluent 
and  able  as  a  speaker  as  in  future  times.  Of  course 
his  knowledge  was  more  limited  and  his  experience 
less  ;  but  in  copiousness  of  language,  ease  in  delivery, 
and  lucidity  of  arrangement  there  was  nothing  to 
desire. 

'In  the  summer  of  1831,  the  old  Dean,  Samuel 
Smith,  exchanged  his  Deanery  for  a  Prebendal  Stall 
at  Durham,  with  Thomas  Gaisford,  Professor  of 
Greek  at  Oxford ;  and  on  our  return  in  October 
we  found  the  new  Dean  in  possession.  The  ex- 
change was,  I  believe,  effected  by  Bishop  van  Mildert 
of  Durham,  whose  niece  (Miss  Douglas)  Gaisford 
had  married.  I  do  not  remember  that  the  change 
of  rulers  was  much  felt,  and  I  find  no  notice  of  the 
matter  in  my  letters. 

'  In  January  1832,  I  reached  Oxford  a  day  late, 
and  was  hauled  up  before  old  Gaisford  on  Monday 
morning,  though  in  very  good  company,  there  being 
about  forty  others  in  the  same  scrape  with  myself.  .  .  . 
When  I  began  to  apologize  and  excuse  myself  for 
not  having  been  back  in  time,  my  set  oration  was 
cut  short  by  Daniel  Veysie,  the  Censor,  who  ex- 
claimed :  "  Well,  Mr.  Dean,  perhaps  you  will  not 
notice  Mr.  Liddell's  absence  this  time,  as  I  believe 
it  is  the  first  time  he  has  ever  missed  being  back 
in  time."  Of  course  I  was  a  man  of  too  much 
politeness  to  contradict  the  reverend  gentleman's 
assertion ;  but  the  real  fact  is,  I  never  was  back 
to  the  day  from  the  time  I  became  a  resident 


CH.  II]  The  *  Ten  Tribes ' 


17 


member  of  Christ  Church.  This  is  a  sad  con- 
fession. I  hope  it  will  not  come  to  the  ears  of 
Christ  Church  undergraduates.' 

In  1832  Liddell  became  one  of  the  original 
members  of  a  club  which,  from  its  consisting  of 
ten  members,  and  meeting  at  the  house  of  Tribe 
the  tailor,  opposite  Tom  gate,  was  called  the  '  Ten 
Tribes ' ;  to  which  was  added  '  and  little  Benjamin 
their  ruler,'  Benjamin  Harrison  being  the  President. 
Of  the  ten  original  members,  five  were  Bachelors  of 
Arts  and  five  undergraduates.  The  list,  as  given 
by  Liddell,  is  worthy  of  record.  The  five  Bachelors 
were  Charles  Wordsworth  (afterwards  Bishop  of 
St.  Andrews),  Walter  Kerr  Hamilton  (afterwards 
Bishop  of  Salisbury),  and  Benjamin  Harrison  (after- 
wards Archdeacon  of  Maidstone) — these  three  had 
taken  first  classes  in  Classics  ;  the  remaining  two 
were  Henry  Denison  (afterwards  Fellow  of  All 
Souls),  who  had  taken  a  Double  First,  and  Henry 
Anthony  Jeffreys,  a  First-class  man  in  Mathematics 
(afterwards  Vicar  of  Hawkhurst).  Jeffreys  outlived 
all  the  rest,  and  died  a  few  months  after  the  Dean. 

Of  the  undergraduate  members,  all  were  subse- 
quently distinguished.  They  were  Francis  H.  Doyle, 
afterwards  Sir  Francis  (Fellow  of  All  Souls  and 
Professor  of  Poetry) ;  Stephen  Denison  (Scholar 
of  Balliol  and  Fellow  of  University  College) ;  Henry 
Halford  Vaughan  (Fellow  of  Oriel  and  Regius  Pro- 
fessor of  Modern  History);  James  Ramsay  (after- 
wards Marquess  of  Dalhousie  and  Governor-General 
of  India);  and  Liddell  himself.    All  were  members 

D 


i8 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


of  Christ  Church,  except  Stephen  Denison.  The 
club  met  of  an  evening  after  Hall  dinner,  for  wine 
and  talk,  but  so  moderate  were  their  habits  that 
the  ten  members  consumed,  in  four  nights,  less  than 
four  bottles  of  wine. 

The  life  of  an  undergraduate  of  studious  tastes, 
busily  engaged  in  reading  for  honours,  was  not  likely 
to  be  full  of  incident.  Liddell  enjoyed  the  com- 
panionship of  a  few  chosen  friends,  among  whom 
were  Canning,  the  future  Governor-General,  and 
Lord  Lincoln,  afterwards  Duke  of  Newcastle,  in 
addition  to  those  already  mentioned.  Fifteen  months 
before  the  time  of  examination  he  had  read  through 
all  his  prescribed  books,  and  had  every  reason  to 
look  forward  hopefully  to  the  result. 

'  But,'  he  writes,  '  I  fear  there  will  be  a  good  deal 
to  do  yet.  For  though  I  have,  it  seems,  gone  through 
all  the  regular  books,  yet  there  remains  behind 
a  world  of  volumes  explanatory  and  illustrative  of 
them,  which  it  would  be  highly  advantageous,  if  not 
absolutely  necessary,  to  know.  However,  it  is  satis- 
factory to  know  that  the  line  of  road  is  cut,  and  that 
now  there  is  nothing  to  do  but  to  lay  down  the  stones 
and  get  them  well  beaten  in.' 

He  determined  to  forgo  the  delights  of  a  visit  to 
his  home  in  the  Long  Vacation,  and  was  anxious 
to  be  allowed  to  remain  at  Oxford,  if  only  the  Dean 
would  grant  permission.  He  urged  his  father  to 
state  his  case  to  the  Bishop  of  Durham,  and  get  him 
to  intercede  with  the  *  Old  Bear,'  as  he  called  the 
Dean.    But  Gaisford  was  obdurate.    The  difficulty, 


CH.  II]  Reading  for  Honottrs 


19 


however,  was  met  by  a  kind  invitation  from  Augustus 
Page  Saunders,  who  up  to  that  time  had  been 
Mathematical  Tutor  at  Christ  Church,  and  was  now 
just  elected  to  the  Headmastership  of  Charterhouse. 
Saunders  held  the  Curacy  of  Cuddesdon,  a  living 
then  attached  to  the  See  of  Oxford,  and  he  invited 
Liddell  to  spend  the  summer  months  with  him  there, 
together  with  three  other  Christ  Church  men,  Bruce 
(afterwards  Lord  Elgin),  Lincoln,  and  Canning.  On 
the  departure  of  Saunders  for  his  school  work  in 
September,  George  Anthony  Denison  took  his  place 
as  Curate,  and  the  invitation  was  extended  to  the 
close  of  the  Long  Vacation.  It  was  a  happy  and 
profitable  time. 

'  We  keep  very  steady  to  our  reading,  average 
nine  hours  per  diem,  cricket  and  bathing  in  the 
intervals.  I  am  improving  immensely  in  water 
transactions,  take  running  headers,  jump  over  vast 
bushes  into  the  water,  &c. ;  and  at  cricket  dare  look 
at  the  ball  without  shutting  mine  eyes.  We  had 
a  match  with  the  "  clods "  the  other  day,  in  which 
I  played,  and  to  my  own  and  other  people's  astonish- 
ment smote  the  ball  with  most  wonderful  "  vis,"  and 
added  some  dozen  to  the  score.' 

Denison  was  a  delightful  host.  Many  years  after- 
wards Liddell  writes  of  him : 

'  In  those  days  he  was,  I  might  say,  a  radical 
reformer,  and  took  in  the  Westminster  Review. 
I  remember  the  glee  with  which  he  sketched 
a  picture  of  himself  being  sent  down  as  a  Commis- 
sioner to  inquire  into  the  state  of  the  University 

D  2 


20 


Life  at  Christ  Clmrch 


[CH.  II 


of  Oxford,  summoning  Dean  Gaisford  to  appear 
before  him.  "  Take  a  seat,  Sir,"  he  would  affably 
say,  "  and  attend  to  the  questions  I  am  about  to 
ask."    Quantum  mutatus  ! ' 

At  Christmas,  1832,  Liddell  allowed  himself  a  short 
holiday  at  home,  partly  perhaps  that  he  might  see 
his  father's  new  abode  at  Easington,  a  parish  situated 
about  two  miles  from  the  sea,  on  the  high  road 
between  Sunderland  and  Stockton,  in  a  bleak  posi- 
tion, its  church  serving  as  a  landmark  to  seamen. 
This  was  his  father's  home  till  he  gave  up  clerical 
work. 

With  the  year  1833  ^he  Final  Examination  was 
drawing  perilously  near.  The  beginning  of  June 
was  the  fatal  time.  In  January  of  that  year  he 
writes  : 

'  Reading  is  not  going  on  as  well  as  I  could  wish. 
Thank  God  I  am  perfectly  well,  and  shall  have  no 
excuse  to  offer  on  the  ground  of  health.  Canning 
is  going  on  pretty  well  too.  He  comes  to  breakfast 
with  me  every  morning  before  Chapel,  which  is 
a  wonderful  effort  of  voluntary  exertion  on  the  part 
of  two  men  who,  I  believe,  love  their  beds  as  sincerely 
as  any  of  God's  creatures,  except  perhaps  that  abso- 
lute dormouse,  my  brother  Charlie.' 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that,  as  a  recreation  in 
the  intervals  of  hard  work,  Canning,  Vaughan,  and 
Liddell  used  to  read  together  the  early  poems  of 
Tennyson.  In  a  letter  addressed  to  the  present 
Lord  Tennyson  in  October,  1897,  Liddell  writes: 

'  I  have  been  reading,  as  many  more  are  doing. 


CH.  Il] 


Double  First  Class 


21 


your  memoir  of  your  father  with  intense  interest. 
I  Will  you  allow  me  a  word  or  two  "?  In  vol.  i.  p.  206 
Dean  Bradley  seems  to  claim  the  merit  of  being  the 
first  to  introduce  your  father's  poems  into  Oxford. 
This  claim  appears  to  refer  to  1842.  I  must,  for 
the  honour  of  a  few  Oxford  men,  be  allowed  to  put 
in  an  earlier  claim.  In  June  1833,  three  Christ 
Church  men  took  their  degree.  They  were  reading 
hard,  and  met  every  evening  for  an  hour  for  tea  and 
recreation.  The  recreation  consisted  in  reading  aloud 
the  poems  published  in  1830  and  1833.  ^  have 
the  two  thin  volumes  before  me,  and  looking  them 
over  remember  our  especial  delight  in  Mariana, 
The  Arabian  Nights,  Oriana,  The  Lady  of  Shalott, 
The  May  Queen,  &c.,  but  especially  in  The  Lotos 
Eaters'.  [The  three  young  men's  names  are  then 
given.]  '  Nor  were  we  the  only  Oxford  men  who 
were  thus  early  devoted  to  your  father's  works. 
I  may  mention  Doyle,  afterwards  Sir  Francis,  who 
said  to  me  after  the  appearance  of  the  Idylls,  "If 
Milton  could  read  Guinevere  \t\^o\y}iA  make  him  pale 
with  jealousy  ".' 

The  result  of  the  examination  satisfied  Liddell's 
most  sanguine  hopes.  He  gained  a  Double  First 
Class.    On  June  15  he  wrote  to  his  father  : 

'  I  have  to  announce  my  final  success,  for  which 
most  devoutly  do  I  thank  Heaven,  and  under  that 
your  kindness  and  care  of  me  in  so  providing  for 
my  well-being  now  and  of  old.' 

It  was  a  brilliant  Class  List,  containing,  besides 
Liddell,  four  other  Christ  Church  men,  Canning, 
W.  E.  J  elf,  R.  Scott,  and  H.  H.  Vaughan ;  Jackson 

I 


22  Life  at  Christ  Church  [ch.  n 

of  Pembroke,  afterwards  Bishop  of  London,  and 
R.  Lowe  of  University,  afterwards  Viscount  Sher- 
brooke.  Liddell  was  the  only  Christ  Church  man 
who  achieved  the  distinction  of  a  Double  First 
Class,  his  great  friend  Canning  being  in  the  Second 
Class  in  Mathematics. 

'  I  was  anxious  to  start  at  once  for  Easington, 
knowing  well  the  real  pleasure  I  should  communicate 
to  my  parents  and  the  delight  I  should  myself  enjoy. 
But  Saunders  was  very  anxious  to  parade  a  Double 
First  Charterhouse  man  to  his  boys,  in  hopes  of 
exciting  them  to  do  likewise.  I  at  once  consented, 
being,  as  I  said,  "bound  to  do  all  in  my  power"  to 
assist  him,  after  all  that  he  had  done  for  me. 
Accordingly  I  went,  asked  for  a  holiday  for  the 
school,  and  dined  with  the  masters  in  Brook  Hall. 
My  health  was  proposed,  and  I  had  to  return  thanks. 
It  was  the  first  speech  I  ever  made,  and  I  should 
not  have  been  sorry  if  it  had  been  the  last.  Oratory 
was  not,  is  not,  my  forte.' 

Then  came  the  well-earned  rest  of  the  Long 
Vacation  ;  a  time  spent  partly  at  Easington,  and 
partly  in  Scotland  in  company  with  his  cousin,  the 
Hon.  Henry  T.  Liddell,  afterwards  first  Earl  of 
Ravensworth.  Edinburgh,  a  city  which  he  had  not 
seen  since  he  was  twelve  years  old,  won  his  un- 
stinted admiration. 

'  I  am  now,'  he  writes,  '  in  the  queen  of  cities,  the 
modern  Athens,  the  most  beauteous  of  the  beautiful ; 
the  —  but  words  fail  me  when  I  attempt  to  express 
the  extreme  admiration  I  feel  for  all  around  me. 


CH.  II] 


Vacation  in  Scotland 


23 


I        It  is  in  sooth  a  glorious  place.    I  could  spend  hours 
in  gazing  on  the  magnificent  views  which  present 
j        themselves  at  every  turn. . . .  Whether  I  go  to  Rome 
'        or  Naples  or  Athens  or  Constantinople,  never  shall 
I  see  a  city  so  noble  as  is  this.' 

From  Edinburgh  they  went  to  Invercauld,  and 
thence  to  Blair  Athol,  where  they  were  hospitably 
received  by  Lady  Glenlyon,  mother  of  the  young 
Duke  of  Athol.    Here  Liddell  killed  his  first  stag. 

'  One  incident  I  must  record,'  he  writes  to  his 
father,  '  inasmuch  as  therein  is  contained  a  triumph 
little  inferior  to  those  which  I  once  had  the  pleasure 
of  conveying  to  you  by  letter  from  Oxford.  With 
my  own  hand,  and  the  gun  of  the  Hon.  H.  T.  Liddell, 
of  Eslington  House,  did  I  slaughter  a  noble  hart. 
His  horns  are  not  remarkable,  but  I  am  resolved 
to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  so  great  a  triumph  by 
carrying  off  his  head,  the  which  I  shall  hope  to  show 
you.  The  deer  shooting  here  is  much  harder  work 
than  at  Invercauld ;  for  the  deer  are  so  numerous, 
and  congregate  in  herds  so  large,  that  it  is  impossible 
to  stalk  them  quietly  and  calmly;  they  are  generally 
found  below  you,  under  the  summit  of  a  very  steep 
hill ;  then  you  run  full  tilt  down  upon  them,  among 
stones  huge  and  rough  and  loose,  till  you  arrive  at 
a  ledge  over  which  you  look,  and  behold  the  most 
magnificent  sight  in  the  world,  a  hugeous  herd  of 
red-deer,  who,  the  moment  you  come  in  sight,  look 
up,  give  a  snuff,  and  off  they  gallop.  It  is  not  much 
in  favour  of  shooting  that  you  have  had  this  run, 
for  it  cannot  be  expected  that  your  head  and  eye 
can  be  very  steady  after  such  a  feat,  for  the  run  is 
sometimes,  in  the  case  of  novices,  about  a  mile. 


24 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


The  old  hands  run  nearly  all  day.  My  deer  was 
achieved  after  a  run  of  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile, 
and  I  fired  off  my  arm  without  a  rest.  .  .  .  The  sport 
is  grand.    Nothing  I  ever  saw  equal  to  it  \' 

In  October  1833,  Liddell  returned  to  Oxford.  His 
future  was  now  assured.  More  than  three  years 
before  his  tutor,  Robert  Biscoe,  had  sounded  him  as 
to  his  intentions  of  staying  up  and  becoming  a  tutor, 
and  he  had  answered  that,  though  he  had  not  even 
dared  to  hope  for  a  studentship,  and  had  never 
considered  any  consequences  of  such  an  event,  he 
had  not  the  slightest  objection  to  embracing  such 
a  career.  Now,  after  his  brilliant  success  in  the 
Schools,  a  tutorship  would  as  a  matter  of  course  be 
offered  him  in  due  time ;  in  the  meanwhile  there 
was  a  delightful  interval,  to  be  spent  in  equipping 
himself  more  completely  for  his  future  work.  The 
Dean  gave  him  kind  counsel. 

'He  recommends  me  to  recover  all  my  French 
and  proceed  with  German,  accompanying  this  advice 
with  a  recommendation  to  pursue  my  classical 
studies,  to  verse  myself  in  Divinity,  and  not 
neglect  my  scientific  pursuits.  He  added  that 
what  leisure  time  I  had  would  be  fully  occupied 
by  keeping  pace  with  the  reading  of  the  day,  with- 
out which  no  gentleman  can  go  into  society.' 

Some  time  later  the  Dean  took  advantage  of 
Liddell's  German  knowledge  by  asking  him  to  trans- 

^  It  should  be  mentioned  that  this  method  of  stalking  in  Athol 
Forest,  now  obsolete,  is  described  in  Scrope's  Deerstalking,  published 
in  1839. 


CH.  11]  Return  to  Oxford  25 


late  for  his  use  Godfrey  Hermann's  Review  of 
Gottling's  Hesiod.  Gaisford  himself  had  never  learnt 
German.  He  is  said  indeed  to  have  visited  the 
continent  only  once,  when  he  made  an  expedition  to 
Leyden  to  consult  some  MSS.  Here  he  became 
acquainted  with  sundry  Professors  ;  and  it  happened 
on  one  occasion  that  one  of  these  learned  men  made 
a  slip  in  some  metrical  rule.  Gaisford  interposed, 
and  poured  forth  (in  Latin)  a  flood  of  learning 
from  Hephaestion  and  other  Greek  authors  on 
metres.  The  Dutch  Professor  held  up  his  hands 
and  exclaimed :  '  O  vir  magnae  profecto  sapientiae, 
si  lam  in  rebus  quam  i7i  verbis  iucaluisses  ! ' 

There  is  no  period  of  academic  life  more  profit- 
able and  agreeable  than  the  time  immediately 
succeeding  the  struggle  of  the  Honour  Schools. 
The  drudgery  of  work  is  over  ;  one's  own  tastes 
may  be  pursued  without  misgivings ;  the  methods 
of  study  acquired  by  the  discipline  of  the  Schools 
may  now  be  applied  on  an  extended  scale ;  the 
mind  has  been  enriched,  and  strengthened  for 
further  efforts.  Moreover,  Liddell  had  good  friends 
among  his  brother  students  to  foster  his  intel- 
lectual growth  :  among  them  H.  A.  Jeffreys, 
a  brilliant  mathematician  and  a  man  of  singular 
beauty  of  character,  '  tcou  rjneh  i'SfLeu  longe  optimus,' 
as  Liddell  described  him  some  years  afterwards,  and 
Robert  Scott,  one  of  the  most  fastidious  scholars  of 
his  time.  Scott  and  Liddell  had  been  appointed  by 
the  Dean  to  the  post  of  Sub-Librarian,  and  had  thus 
constant  access  to  the  splendid  collection  of  books, 

E 


26 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


pictures,  and  engravings  contained  in  the  College 
Library.  In  making  the  appointment  Gaisford  ad- 
vised Liddell  to  make  himself  well  acquainted  with 
the  contents  of  the  Library,  referring  with  much 
gusto  to  the  motto  he  had  seen  over  Bishop  Cosin's 
Library  at  Durham  :  Nosse  bonos  libros  non  minima 
pars  est  bonae  eruditionis.  This  phrase  Liddell  used 
in  after-days  to  quote  when  himself  appointing 
young  students  to  the  same  honourable  post.  He 
also  spent  some  time  with  private  pupils ;  among 
them  was  Viscount  Leveson,  afterwards  Earl  Gran- 
ville.   He  describes  him  as 

'  A  very  nice  fellow,  a  great  friend  of  Canning's, 
though,  I  fear,  inexorably  idle.  But  he  has  to 
work  for  his  bread,  and  I  hope  he  may  reform. 
He  is  to  be,  if  possible,  a  Diplomatist.  When 
he  came  up  to  Christ  Church,  Canning  said  to 
him,  "  Leveson,  your  mind  is  like  a  garden  that 
has  been  left  without  cultivation,  and  the  only 
wonder  is  there  are  so  few  weeds  in  it."  At  that 
time  he  had  such  an  objection  to  work  that  I 
used  (with  his  consent)  to  lock  him  into  my  study, 
so  that  he  could  not  get  out  without  my  leave, 
nor  could  any  idle  friends  come  in  to  disturb  him. 
I  carried  him  successfully  through  his  examin- 
ations, and  he  remained  my  kind  friend  to  the 
end  of  his  life.' 

His  letters  show  him  hard  at  work  at  classics, 
French,  and  German ;  and  having  now  made  up 
his  mind  to  enter  Holy  Orders,  he  was  studying 
Divinity,  and  attending  the  lectures  of  the  Regius 
Professor,  Dr.  Burton.    The  works  of  Bull  and 


CH.  Il] 


Appointed  Tutor 


27 


Waterland,  the  gift  of  Lord  Ravensworth  in  com- 
memoration of  his  Double  First,  served  as  the 
first  instalment  of  his  Theological  library.  At  the 
Gaudy  of  1834  he  delivered  the  Commemoration 
Speech,  celebrating  Archbishop  Dolben.  Rewrote 
for  the  Latin  Essay  on  '  The  Administration  of 
the  Roman  Provinces,'  but  was  beaten  by  Scott. 
There  was  a  question  of  his  standing  for  a 
Fellowship  at  Merton  and  at  Balliol,  where  the 
emoluments  were  higher  than  at  Christ  Church, 
and  the  position  in  some  important  respects  more 
dignified.  He  was  also  tempted  by  an  offer  to 
pursue  researches  in  Asia  Minor,  in  succession  to 
Mr.  Pashley,  who  had  accompanied  one  of  H.M.'s 
frigates  which  was  exploring  those  coasts.  This 
offer  he  was  strongly  inclined  to  accept,  but  he 
was  dissuaded  by  the  Dean  and  Dr.  Pusey  ;  and 
in  the  end  remained  quietly  at  Christ  Church,  till 
the  time  should  come  when  a  Tutorship  would  fall 
to  him.  His  vacations  were  spent  in  various  places. 
At  Easter,  1835,  he  visited  Cambridge  with  his 
friend  Charles  Wordsworth,  stayed  at  the  Lodge  at 
Trinity,  and  saw  '  the  celebrated  Fellows  of  Trinity, 
Sedgwick,  Whewell,  Peacock,  and  Thirlwall.'  In 
the  Long  Vacation  of  that  year  he  spent  some 
weeks  at  Heidelberg,  in  company  with  H.  Halford 
Vaughan,  and  worked  hard  at  German ;  visiting  on 
his  way  home  the  chief  beauties  of  the  Rhine. 

In  January  1836,  he  became  Tutor.  Thirteen 
pupils  were  assigned  to  him,  among  whom  were 
the  future  Bishop  Ryle,  Charles  T.  Newton,  and 

E  2 


28 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


Henry  W.  Acland.  The  Earl  of  Wemyss  (then 
Mr.  Charteris)  was  soon  afterwards  added  to  the 
number. 

'  I  would  gladly  have  waited  a  little,'  he  writes, 
'for  I  had  only  just  taken  my  M.A.  degree,  and 
should  have  been  glad  of  a  space  of  time  for 
preparation.  I  wrote  to  my  mother  that  I  was 
meditating  over  the  air,  tone,  and  gesture  to  be 
assumed  when  my  first  Lecture  enters  the  room, 
all  properly  attired  in  academical  costume,  and 
some  of  them  perhaps  more  fit  to  lecture  their 
Tutor  than  to  receive  instruction  from  him.' 

In  April  of  the  same  year  he  again  writes  : 

'  I  have  again  assumed  the  tutorial  chair,  and 
circles  of  reverential  youths  look  to  my  nod,  as 
that  of  great  wisdom.  Moreover,  I  know  not 
whether  they  have  been  awed  by  my  sternness  at 
Collections,  or  if  dignity  has  insensibly  accrued 
to  my  person,  but  I  find  that  these  youths  respect- 
fully lift  their  caps  from  their  heads  when  they 
cross  my  path  in  the  Quadrangle.' 

He  speaks  of  his  own  pupils  as  '  a  very  good 
set  who  will  keep  all  my  wits  at  work.'  And  it 
should  be  remembered  that  the  duties  of  a  College 
Tutor  in  those  days — and  indeed  till  much  later — 
were  not  quite  what  they  are  in  modern  Oxford. 
There  was  none  of  the  sub-division  of  subjects 
which  is  now  (to  the  clear  advantage  of  teacher 
and  learner)  universally  adopted.  The  College 
Tutor  was  expected  to  guide  and  supervise  the 
whole  of  his  pupils'  work,  and  more  or  less  to 


cH.  II]  JVork  as  Tittor 


29 


read  with  them  the  chief  ancient  authors  which 
they  were  taking  up,  whether  poets,  philosophers, 
historians,  or  orators.  There  were  indeed  on  the 
staff  of  Christ  Church  certain  college  officers,  who 
delivered  formal  courses  of  Lectures  to  the  men  of 
each  year — the  Catechist,  the  Rhetoric  Reader,  and 
the  Greek  Reader : — but  these  officers  were  Tutors 
also  ;  and  for  the  bulk  of  the  instruction  each  Tutor 
was  almost  solely  responsible,  so  far  as  his  own 
pupils  were  concerned ;  and  if  he  was  anxious  to 
do  his  best  for  them,  his  labours  were  very  heavy 
and  covered  a  vast  field.  And  the  Tutor's  re- 
lation to  his  pupils  was  also,  in  theory  at  least, 
of  a  more  directly  pastoral  character  than  is  now 
the  case.  As  a  rule,  the  College  Tutor  of  those 
days  was  in  Holy  Orders ;  for  indeed  all  but 
a  few  Fellowships  or  Studentships  were  ten- 
able for  any  lengthened  time  only  under  this 
condition.  At  Christ  Church  the  first  twenty 
of  the  hundred  and  one  Students  were  called 
'  Theologi,'  and  were  bound  to  be  in  Priest's  Orders. 
This  restriction  placed  the  tuition  of  a  college 
in  the  hands  of  clergymen,  and  a  conscientious 
Tutor  would  regard  his  position  as  involving  the 
discharge  of  sacred  duties  in  safeguarding,  as  far 
as  possible,  his  pupils'  career,  and  giving  them  help 
in  their  religious  life. 

Liddell  devoted  himself  heart  and  soul  to  his 
new  work  ;  and  many  of  his  early  pupils,  separated 
from  him  by  only  a  short  interval  in  age,  became 
his  close  personal  friends.    His  admirable  scholar- 


30  Life  at  Christ  Church         [ch.  n 


ship,  his  wide  hterary  culture,  and  his  refined 
artistic  tastes,  all  combined  to  interest  and  even 
to  fascinate  them.  It  is  now  for  the  first  time 
that  his  letters  speak  much  of  art ;  but  he  had 
the  hand  and  eye,  as  well  as  the  enthusiasm,  of 
an  artist,  and  his  life-long  friendship  with  Newton, 
Acland,  and  Ruskin  was  founded  in  a  large 
measure  upon  the  profound  artistic  sympathy 
which  then  united  them.  Mr.  Ruskin  was  not 
indeed,  strictly  speaking,  a  pupil  of  Liddell's ;  his 
college  Tutor  was  the  Rev.  W.  L.  Brown.  But 
they  were  drawn  together,  even  in  those  early 
days,  by  common  artistic  tastes  and  sympathies ; 
and  in  his  '  Praeterita '  Mr.  Ruskin  refers  to 
Liddell  in  words  which  deserve  to  be  quoted : 

'  There  was  one  Tutor  however,  out  of  my 
sphere,  who  reached  my  ideal,  but  disappointed 
my  hope  then  —  as  perhaps  his  own,  since : — a 
man  sorrowfully  under  the  dominion  of  the  Greek 
dudyKT] — the  present  Dean.  He  was,  and  is,  one 
of  the  rarest  types  of  nobly-presenced  English- 
men, but  I  fancy  it  was  his  adverse  star  that 
made  him  an  Englishman  at  all — the  prosaic  and 
practical  element  in  him  having  prevailed  over 
the  sensitive  one.  He  was  the  only  man  in  Oxford 
among  the  masters  of  my  day  who  knew  any- 
thing of  art ;  and  his  keen  saying  of  Turner 
that  "  he  had  got  hold  of  a  false  ideal "  would 
have  been  infinitely  helpful  to  me  at  that  time, 
had  he  explained  and  enforced  it.  But  I  suppose 
he  did  not  see  enough  in  me  to  make  him  take 
trouble   with   me, — and,   what   was    much  more 


CH.  II]  Work  as  Tutor 


31 


serious,  he  saw  not  enough  in  himself  to  take 
trouble,  in  that  field,  with  himself.' 

So  anxious  was  Liddell  to  spare  no  pains  to 
make  himself  fit  for  his  new  duties  that,  when 
the  Long  Vacation  of  1836  came,  he  resolved  to 
spend  almost  the  whole  of  it  at  Oxford, 

'  I  cannot  say  for  certain,'  he  writes  to  his 
mother,  '  whether  I  shall  visit  you  or  not  this 
summer.  Believe  me,  I  should  only  be  obeying 
my  inclination,  if  I  were  to  stay  the  greater  part 
of  the  Long  Vacation  at  home.  But  I  must 
fairly  tell  you,  it  appears  to  me  incompatible 
with  my  office  in  this  place  so  to  do.  I  have 
much,  very  much,  to  learn  to  qualify  myself  for 
the  fit  discharge  of  my  Tutorial  duties ;  and 
the  only  opportunity  I  have  to  make  up  deficien- 
cies is  during  the  vacations.  I  am  sorry  to  say 
that  at  home  I  cannot  read  with  effect :  I  have 
tried  and  it  has  failed.  My  duty  therefore  is  to 
stay  in  such  places  as  will  enable  me  to  do  so; 
and  the  most  congenial  place  is  Oxford.' 

As  a  matter  of  fact  he  did  go  home  for  a  short 
time ;  but  most  of  the  Vacation  was  spent  at 
Oxford,  and,  from  his  account  of  his  way  of  life, 
well  spent. 

'  I  have  adopted  a  new  style  of  life  on  the 
advice,  and  backed  by  the  example,  of  Talbot, 
a  student  of  Christ  Church,  and  nephew  of  Lord 
Fitzroy  Somerset.  I  get  up  at  six  or  a  little 
after  and  take  a  walk,  sometimes  diversified  by 
a  bathe,  before  breakfast.  The  effect  is  ex- 
cellent.   I  find  myself  able  to  sit  at  my  books 


32 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


from  9.30  to  5  without  inconvenience,  and  I 
never  was  better.  Indeed,  so  pleasing  is  the 
quiet  and  peace  which  reign  here,  that  I  look 
forward  with  great  regret  to  the  approach  of  Term, 
when  turbulent  youths  will  once  again  break  the 
stillness  of  the  academic  groves.' 

That  stillness  had  indeed  been  rudely  broken 
in  the  preceding  six  months,  by  the  din  and 
violence  of  the  controversy  connected  with  the 
appointment  of  Dr.  Hampden  to  the  Regius  Pro- 
fessorship of  Divinity.  It  is  interesting  to  read 
Liddell's  account  of  the  affair,  and  his  judgment 
on  its  merits.  Dr.  Burton's  unexpected  death  had 
caused  the  vacancy. 

'  I  had  attended  Dr.  Burton's  lectures  in  pre- 
paration for  my  Ordination,  and,  in  common  with 
others,  felt  the  highest  admiration  and  love  for 
him.  Great  interest  was  felt  in  his  successor ; 
for  the  appointment  rested  with  Lord  Melbourne, 
who  did  not  possess  the  confidence  of  Churchmen. 
On  Feb.  8,  1836,  came  a  letter  from  his  Lord- 
ship, offering  the  chair  to  Dr.  Hampden.  The 
Doctor  was  an  Oriel  man,  who  had  become 
Principal  of  St.  Mary  Hall.  In  a  letter  to  my 
father,  I  speak  of  him  as  a  person  well  known 
for  the  amiableness  of  his  manner,  and  the 
uprightness  of  his  life  (I  might  have  added,  for 
his  learning  in  Aristotelic  philosophy),  but  who  was 
unhappily  distinguished  for  very  strange,  undefined, 
and  almost  unintelligible  notions  on  Theological 
subjects.  Such  were  the  self-confident  opinions 
of  a   young  man  of  twenty-five  years.     I  con- 


CH.  Il] 


Dr.  Hampden 


33 


tinued  : — "  On  Tuesday,  Pusey,  Newman,  and  others 
of  that  party  assembled  and  prepared  a  memorial  to 
His  Majesty,  setting  forth  that  they  apprehended 
danger  to  the  Church  by  the  appointment  of 
a  Professor  holding  such  opinions  as  appeared 
in  Dr.  Hampden's  theological  works,  more  par- 
ticularly in  the  Bampton  Lectures  for  1832. 
This  was  signed  by  upwards  of  seventy  M.A.s, 
chiefly  Tutors,  and  dispatched  to  the  Archbishop 
on  the  following  night.  On  Wednesday  the  Heads 
of  Houses,  roused  by  the  energy  of  the  Move- 
ment party,  called  a  meeting.  To  the  horror 
and  surprise  of  the  Doctors,  the  Principal  of 
St.  Mary  Hall  himself  appeared.  *  Strange,'  said 
the  Dean  of  Christ  Church,  '  very  strange, 
that  you  should  be  here,  Mr.  Principal :  we  have 
met  to  talk  of  you.  Do  you  mean  to  stay } ' 
'  I  do,'  was  the  reply.  '  And  to  vote  ? '  interposed 
Shuttleworth  (Warden  of  New  College).  '  I  have 
not  made  up  my  mind,'  said  Hampden. 

' "  A  very  angry  discussion  followed,  after  which 
certain  propositions  (I  know  not  what)  were  put 
to  the  vote.  On  the  first  two,  Hampden  was 
left  in  a  minority,  himself  taking  no  part.  On 
the  third,  the  division  was  equal,  whereupon  Dr. 
Hampden  interposed,  and  by  his  vote  turned  the 
decision  of  the  august  body  in  his  own  favour. 
They  separated  in  no  good  humour :  and  the 
minority  dispatched  a  private  remonstrance  to 
Lord  Melbourne,  which  his  Lordship  diplomati- 
cally promised  to  give  his  attention  to.  After 
this  strong  display  of  opinion,  Hampden  wrote 
to  Ministers  offering  to  resign,  if  he  inconveni- 
enced them  at  all.    This  was  on  Thursday.  On 


34 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


Saturday,  Newman  put  out  a  pamphlet  entitled, 
Elucidations  of  Dr.  Hampden  s  Theological  State- 
ments, being  a  summary  of  his  opinions  on 
various  heads  arranged  in  numbers,  as  I.  Rule 
of  Faith.  II.  The  Holy  Trinity.  III.  The 
Incarnation,  &c.,  and  each  head  copiously  proved 
by  extracts  from  the  Professor-elect's  Bampton 
Lectures,  &c.  As  I  said  before,  the  statements 
are  very  obscure ;  in  the  hands  of  a  Socinian 
they  might  be  stated  as  Socinian  principles ;  in 
Dr.  Hampden's  probably  they  may  all  be  shown 
to  be  Church  of  England.  But  even  this  most 
favourable  statement  of  them  will  show  how 
improper  a  person  he  is  to  be  Divinity  Professor. 
He  would  do  no  good,  nor,  I  apprehend,  much 
harm  ;  for  he  is  a  man  without  eloquence,  or  any 
moral  power  over  men's  minds,  so  far  as  appears : 
so  that  the  chief  harm  would  be  that  the  Pro- 
fessorship would  be  entirely  nugatory;  all  solid 
meat  would  be  taken  out  of  men's  mouths,  and 
dust  blown  into  their  eyes.  Here  the  matter 
rests.  I  did  not  sign  the  Masters'  memorial, 
because  I  conceived  this  proceeding  to  be  uncon- 
stitutional and  irregular ;  and  the  delay,  if  not 
refusal,  of  the  Archbishop  to  present  it  (for  it 
has  not  been  presented),  makes  me  think  he  takes 
the  same  view.  I  see  by  to-day's  paper  that 
Lord  Melbourne  has  had  an  interview  with  the 
King  at  Brighton  ;  and  I  am  told  that  in  a  Minis- 
terial paper  has  appeared  a  letter  detailing  the 
proceedings  in  '  Golgotha.'  As  Shuttleworth  is 
very  indignant  at  this  letter,  it  is  presumed  the 
statement  is  accurate,  and  therefore  proceeds 
from  an  eye-witness." ' 


CH.  II]       The  Hampden  Controversy 


35 


In  May  following  he  adds  the  sequel : 

'You  want  to  hear  more  about  Hampden,  and 
the  statute  which  has  been  passed  concerning  him,  .  . 
The  University  has  withdrawn  from  him  all  she  had 
before  entrusted,  on  her  part,  to  the  Professor,  viz. 
the  appointment  of  Select  Preachers,  and  the  judging 
on  heresy,  &c.,  in  sermons  preached  by  others ; 
which,  though  in  itself  almost  nugatory,  yet  amounts 
to  a  strong  vote  of  censure.  I  was  very  glad  not  to 
have  a  vote,  as  I  know  not  how  I  should  have 
exercised  it.  But  pray  most  flatly  contradict  the 
notion  that  the  leaders  of  the  business  had  any 
political  bias.  I  really  and  truly  believe  that  if  they 
were  asked  to-morrow  whether  Lord  Melbourne 
or  Sir  Robert  Peel  was  to  hold  office,  they  would 
(supposing  the  thing  depended  on  their  word)  decline 
giving  judgment.  They  were  actuated  simply  by 
what  they  judged  a  high  duty,  and  believed  they 
would  be  betraying  their  trust  if  they  did  not  use  it. 
Of  course  this  is  no  defence  of  what  they  have  done ; 
that  must  stand  or  fall  on  its  own  merits ;  but  it 
is  a  defence  of  their  7notives  and  wishes  against  such 
shocking  and  unchristian  attacks  as  that  which  has 
appeared  in  the  Edinburgh  Review,  and  which  (I  am 
shocked  to  say)  is  the  production  of  a  man  for  whom 
I  had  a  high  respect  and  great  admiration — even 
Dr.  Arnold  of  Rugby  ^  Alas,  poor  human  nature  ! 
What  a  miserable  thing  art  thou,  breaking  forth  and 

'  In  a  letter  to  Vaughan  he  describes  the  famous  scene  in  the 
Theatre :  '  Arnold  came,  saw,  and  of  course  did  not  conquer.  I  am 
sorry  to  say  that  his  physiognomy  by  no  means  counteracts  the 
extremely  unpleasant  notion  I  had  been  led  to  form  of  him  from 
the  "  Malignants  "  article.  A  more  savage,  truculent  expression  than 
that  day  sate  upon  his  brow,  I  think  I  never  saw.  He  did  not  speak, 
sate  upon  a  bench  retired,  and  withdrew  early.' 

F  2 


36 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


deforming  and  blotting  over  qualities  and  characters 
that  might  adorn  a  higher  race  of  beings.  I  hope 
that,  for  the  present  at  least,  we  are  quiet  again. 
Dr.  Hampden  has  issued  notice  of  lectures  without 
as  heretofore  requiring  a  certificate  from  the  Head 
or  Tutor  of  the  respective  colleges  to  which  his 
hearers  may  belong.  The  Bishops  have  taken 
diverse  lines.  The  Bishop  of  Exeter  wrote  long 
ago  to  Exeter  College  (whence  come  most  of  his 
candidates  for  Orders)  saying  that  he  would  not 
require  attendance  on  either  Professor's  Lectures 
(Regius  or  Margaret) ;  college  testimonials  would 
suffice.  The  Bishop  of  London  told  a  Christ  Church 
man,  who  asked  him  whether  of  the  twain  he  should 
hear,  that  he  w^ould  abide  by  the  recommendation 
of  his  college  ;  whereon  the  Dean  refused  to  give 
any  such  recommendation.  So  anomalous  is  our 
present  condition.' 

To  those  who  knew  Liddell  in  later  days,  and 
appreciated  his  attitude  towards  all  religious  con- 
troversy, especially  when  introduced  into  academical 
questions,  the  tone  of  these  letters  will  appear  some- 
what surprising :  but  it  is  interesting  to  read  his 
own  comment  on  them,  when  he  perused  them  in 
his  old  age. 

*  Notvvith standing,'  he  writes,  '  that  the  opinions 
expressed  in  these  letters  savour  something  of 
presumption,  considering  that  they  were  written  by 
a  young  M.A.,  who  had  not  yet  the  right  to  vote 
in  Convocation,  I  must  say  that  on  the  whole  they 
are  moderate  and  impartial.  I  see  nothing  for 
a  man  of  eighty-two  to  be  ashamed  of  in  them.' 
'  The  word  "  moderate," '  he  adds,  '  recalls  to  my 


CH.  11]  Newman  and  Halford  Vanghan  37 


mind  a  little  incident  that  must  have  occurred  about 
this  time.  My  friend  Vaughan,  who  had  been 
elected  to  a  Fellowship  at  Oriel,  was  having  tea 
with  Newman,  who  was  anxious  to  enlist  all  the 
younger  Fellows  in  his  cause.  "  Do  you  like  your 
tea  strong?"  asked  Newman.  "No  thank  you," 
said  Vaughan,  "  rather  weak  than  otherwise."  "  Ah, 
I  see,"  retorted  Newman,  "  7noderatio)L  in  all  things.'" 

Liddell's  attitude  towards  Dissenters  was  then 
strangely  different  from  what  it  afterwards  became. 

'  I  hope,'  he  writes  to  Vaughan  in  1834,  '  you  have 
already  signed  a  petition  against  admitting  Dissenters 
to  the  Universities.  If  not,  you  will  find  one  either 
at  Rivington's  or  Hatchard's,  whither  instantly  repair, 
and  enrol  your  name  among  all  the  good  and  wise 
of  the  land.' 

One  more  reference  to  Dr.  Hampden's  case  may 
be  noted.  About  the  middle  of  the  ensuing  Michael- 
mas Term  the  new  Professor  took  up  his  residence 
in  Christ  Church. 

'  He  appeared  in  chapel  this  morning  (November  5) 
for  the  first  time,  and,  strange  enough,  the  chapter 
read  for  the  second  lesson  was  Acts  xxiii — the  very 
passage  which  had  been  applied  by  Arnold  in  the 
Edinburgh  Review  to  his  "  Persecutors." ' 

Some  years  afterwards — in  1843 — Liddell  was 
again  concerned  with  Dr.  Hampden,  in  the  then 
famous  but  now  forgotten  suit  of  Macmullen  v. 
Hampden.  A  letter  to  his  mother,  dated  Nov.  30, 
1843,  tells  the  tale  as  far  as  it  relates  to  his  own 
share  in  it. 


38 


Life  at  Christ  Church         [ch.  h 


'  Yesterday  I  had  an  occupation  which  I  hope  will 
be  the  last  of  the  kind  that  I  shall  ever  have, — 
viz.,  to  sit  in  judgment  for  nine  mortal  hours. 
Dr.  Hampden,  the  Regius  Professor  of  Divinity, 
has  refused  to  take  such  steps  as  will  enable  a 
Mr.  Macmullen  to  take  his  degree  of  B.  D.,  because 
he  thinks  that  Mr,  Macmullen  has  (on  his  part) 
taken  a  wrong  course.  Mr.  Macmullen,  not  being 
able  to  take  his  degree,  is  debarred  from  certain 
advantages  which  would  otherwise  accrue  to  him 
in  his  college  (Corpus).  And  therefore  he  brings  an 
action  for  damages  against  Dr.  Hampden.  The  cause 
having  been  decided  against  Dr.  Hampden  in  the 
Vice-Chancellor's  Court,  an  appeal  was  made  to  the 
court  above  (called  the  Delegates  of  Appeals  in 
Congregation)  to  reverse  the  decision.  Of  these 
Delegates — seven  in  number — I  unluckily  am  one. 
And  yesterday  we  took  our  seats  at  ten,  and  sat 
listening  to  legal  arguments  from  Mr.  Erie,  one 
of  the  first  Barristers  in  Westminster  Hall,  on 
Hampden's  side,  and  Hope,  a  contemporary  of  my 
own,  against  him,  till  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
with  one  quarter  of  an  hour's  interruption.  A 
pleasing  variety  to  a  studious  life  this,  is  it  not  ? 
And  now  we  have  to  plod  through  all  these  long- 
winded  arguments,  looking  up  authorities,  cases, 
&c.,  &c.,  and  hold  conferences  in  order  to  make 
up  our  minds  how  to  give  judgment.  I  hope  we 
shall  do  it  right.  But  I  fear  we  are  quite  as  likely 
to  be  wrong  as  right.  However,  we  must  do  the 
best  we  can.  When  any  cases  of  appeal  came 
before  the  Duke  of  Manchester,  when  Governor 
of  Jamaica,  he  used  to  say,  the  moment  the  Counsel 
began,  "  Stop  sir,  stop  !  I  affirm  the  judgment  of  the 


CH.  II]  George  Marshall 


39 


Court  below."  "  But,  your  Grace,"  began  the  horrified 
Counsel.  ..."  I  affirm  it,  with  costs,"  interrupted 
his  Grace.  I  fear  it  will  hardly  do  to  follow  this 
summary  and  convenient  course  here.' 

Among  his  pupils  in  this  early  stage  of  his  tutorial 
life  was  one  who  has  lately  passed  away,  and  whose 
memory  will  long  be  affectionately  cherished  by 
very  many  Christ  Church  men,  the  saintly  George 
Marshall,  afterwards  Censor  of  Christ  Church,  and 
in  later  life  Rector  of  Milton.  Marshall  had  just 
come  up  from  Charterhouse,  and  to  Liddell's  high 
delight  had  won  a  college  exhibition,  the  prelude, 
in  his  case,  to  a  distinguished  academical  career. 
He  was  among  the  first  fruits  of  Saunders'  work 
at  Charterhouse. 

'  I  hope  and  trust  he  will  not  fall  off  under  my 
care.  He  is  a  well-disposed,  modest,  clever  lad, 
and  it  would  grieve  me,  I  am  sure,  quite  as  much  as 
it  could  his  nearest  and  dearest  friends,  to  see  him 
go  wrong.  However,  I  hope  that,  humanly  speaking, 
there  is  very  little  chance  of  it.  But  I  cannot  help 
feeling,  more  and  more,  how  heavy  a  responsibility 
rests  upon  me  ;  while,  from  the  nature  of  the  place, 
one  has  much  less  power  of  interfering  with  a  man's 
acts  and  habits,  than  at  school  and  elsewhere.' 

These  words  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  feelings 
with  which  Liddell  regarded  his  position  as  Tutor, 
and  with  which  he  entered  Holy  Orders  at  Christ- 
mas, 1836.  His  letters  at  this  time  dwell  upon  the 
necessity  of  a  season  for  thought  and  preparation 
for  '  so  important,  and — for  me — so  awful  a  change 


40  Life  at  Christ  Chw'ch         [ch.  h 


of  life.'  A  few  weeks  before  the  Ordination  he 
writes  in  answer  to  his  father : 

'  Your  letter  was  doubly  welcome,  both  as  coming 
from  those  I  love  so  dearly,  and  yet  so  much  less 
than  in  duty  and  gratitude  I  ought,  as  also  by 
reason  of  the  principal  topic  it  dwelt  upon.  Yes, 
indeed,  my  dear  father,  I  do  want  your  prayers, 
yours  and  my  mother's,  and  of  all  that  feel  any 
interest  in  me.  The  step  I  am  going  to  take  is 
one  of  awful  responsibility.  Would  I  could  feel 
as  deeply  as  it  deserves  the  depth  and  breadth 
of  its  importance !  But  I  am  sorry  to  say  that 
my  mode  of  life  has  a  strong  tendency  to  attach 
my  first  thoughts  to  other  subjects  of  a  too  worldly 
kind ;  and  it  often  requires  an  effort  to  fix  my  mind 
on  that  which  ought  to  be — if  it  could  be — the  only 
subject  on  which  it  delighted  to  dwell.  However, 
this  cannot  be.  I  am  obliged  to  spend  most  of  my 
time  in  preparing  lectures  on  alien  subjects,  and  the 
very  week  before  I  present  myself  for  Ordination 
will  be  spent  amid  the  bustle  and  excitement  of 
a  college  examination.  But  I  am  sensible  that 
I  cannot  complain  of  this  :  all  kinds  of  life  must 
have  their  peculiar  temptations,  and  I  doubt  not  but 
that  this  of  mine  has  its  advantages,  which,  trans- 
planted to  another  soil,  I  might  miss  just  as  much 
as  I  do  now  the  quiet  and  leisure  which  I  should 
desire  for  a  season,  to  devote  myself  to  the  studies 
and  meditations  immediately  suited  for  my  approach- 
ing change  of  life.  But  still  these  temptations  are 
many  and  great,  and  therefore  much  need  have  I,  as 
I  said  before,  that  you  and  all  of  you  should  earnestly 
intreat  the  Giver  of  all  good  gifts  to  support  me  by 
His  Grace,  that  I  may  not  greatly  fall.  Mysterious 


CH.  n] 


Ordinatioit 


41 


dispensation,  that  the  prayers  of  men,  who  cannot 
save  their  own  souls,  should  stand  in  stead  others 
besides  themselves !  Yet,  thank  God,  I  feel  and 
believe  that  it  is  a  very  truth.  In  my  prayers  it 
is  that  I  can  best  know  what  a  son's  affection  for 
his  parents,  a  brother's  for  his  brothers  and  sisters, 
is  and  ought  to  be.  And  you  think  of  me  then  with 
a  more  thorough  love  than  otherwise ;  you  have 
assured  me  that  you  do  so.  Thank  you  for  that 
assurance ;  it  has  done  me  good.  And  so  partly 
while  we  feel  that  each  perhaps  at  the  same  moment 
is  sending  up  prayers  for  the  other,  and  so  are 
kindled  to  a  higher  and  holier  frame  of  mind — 
partly  by  recollecting  that  the  Spirit  hath  said 
how  effectual  shall  be  the  fervent  prayer  of  a 
righteous  man  (O  Lord,  grant  that  I  too  may  be 
righteous !),  we  know  that  in  some  measure  our 
salvation  depends  on  our  mutual  efforts,  and  so 
our  affections  are  not  confined  to  this  side  the 
grave,  but  stretch  forward  into  the  boundless  realms 
of  Eternity.' 

It  is  interesting  to  remember  that  this  simple  and 
pathetic  letter  was  written  at  a  time  when  Newman 
and  Pusey  were  already  exercising  a  mighty  influence 
over  the  religious  thought  of  Oxford,  and  three 
years  and  a  half  after  Keble's  Sermon  on  Natzo?tal 
Apostasy.  It  may  be  inferred  that  Liddell  was  quite 
untouched  by  that  movement ;  and  indeed  in  the 
letters  preserved  in  his  family  scarcely  a  reference 
to  it  can  be  traced.  Newman  was  just  ten  years 
his  senior ;  and  ten  years  make  a  vast  interval  in 
college  life.  Liddell's  tastes  were  at  no  time  eccle- 
siastical.   He  was  now  busily  occupied  with  his 


42 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


pupils  and  his  own  studies ;  and  his  leisure  hours 
were  devoted  to  the  improvement  of  his  artistic 
knowledge  and  skill.  He  always  disliked  contro- 
versy ;  and  for  the  present  was  thoroughly  contented 
with  the  Church  position  as  defined  by  the  more 
moderate  school  of  English  Divines.  Yet  he  did 
not  wholly  elude  the  magic  of  the  great  teacher. 
In  later  years  he  would  sometimes  call  up  the 
memories  of  those  early  days,  and  tell  of  his  being 
persuaded  by  Newman  to  undertake  the  translation 
of  some  passages  from  the  Fathers  for  publication. 
*I  can  show  you,  what  I  did,'  he  said  one  day,  and 
took  down  some  volumes  from  his  library  shelves. 
Then,  after  a  long  and  fruitless  search,  he  shut  the 
books  :  '  Pshaw !  I  cannot.  I  have  entirely  forgotten 
which  were  the  passages  that  I  translated  ! '  It  would, 
however,  be  a  mistake  to  infer  that  Liddell  was 
untouched  at  the  time  by  the  influence  of  a 
movement  which  swayed  the  whole  religious  life  of 
Oxford.  He  was  an  occasional  attendant  at  the 
meetings  of  Dr.  Pusey's  Theological  Society :  and 
in  a  sermon  preached  at  Christ  Church  in  1890 
he  recalled  some  memories  of  Newman  as  he  had 
known  him. 

'  Comparatively  few  persons  now  living,'  he  said, 
'  can  remember  the  days  when  Newman  began  to 
influence  academic  life,  and  to  be  a  power  among  us. 
I  am  of  that  number.  I  was  admitted  to  what  I 
considered  a  high  honour,  to  some  degree  of  inter- 
course with  the  great  theologian  of  Oriel,  and  I 
undertook  (at  his  request)  to  make  one  or  two  of 


CH.  II] 


Esthnate  of  Dr.  Newman 


43 


the  translations  from  ancient  ecclesiastical  documents 
which  appeared  in  the  early  numbers  of  the  Library 
of  the  Fathers  ^ 

'  He  exercised  a  sort  of  spell  over  the  younger 
men  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  This  was 
some  half-century  ago.  What  a  vista  to  look  back 
through !  What  changes  have  taken  place  in 
thought  and  feeling,  ecclesiastical,  theological,  philo- 
sophical, scientific,  political,  social,  in  that  half- 
century!  It  seems  like  a  dream,  a  dream  indeed 
full  of  vivid  recollections.  It  makes  me  look  back 
on  the  time  when,  with  many  others  since  departed, 
I  hung  upon  the  sermons  which  he  preached  from 
St.  Mary's  pulpit,  or  listened  to  those  penetrating 
discourses  which  he  used  to  deliver  on  (I  think) 
Wednesday  evenings  in  Adam  de  Brome's  chapel. 
Some  of  those  hearers  followed  him  without  flinching, 
however  far  he  advanced  from  the  teaching  of  that 
Church  in  which  he  had  been  reared  ;  some,  alarmed 
by  the  manifest  direction  of  his  steps,  drew  back 
and  refused  to  listen  any  longer  to  his  persuasive 
accents.  I  need  not  attempt  to  enlarge  on  the 
character  of  his  intellect,  the  subtle  charm  of  his 
language,  his  lofty  and  self-denying  purpose.  .  .  .  But 
one  thing  I  cannot  but  notice, — that,  whereas  most 
of  those  who  leave  the  Church  of  their  fathers,  be 
it  the  Church  of  this  realm  or  another,  prove  to 
be  the  bitterest  enemies  and  the  most  active 
opponents  of  that  Church,  Cardinal  Newman 
never  followed  that  unworthy  course.  He  had 
convinced  himself  that  there  were  things  in  our 

^  They  were  really  some  passages  from  Ignatius,  and  form  Nos.  I- 1 2 
of  the  '  Records  of  the  Church,'  to  be  found  among  the  Tracts  for  the 
Times. 

G  2 


44  Christ  CImrch         [ch.  h 


Church  that  he  could  not  away  with,  and  that  he 
should  find  in  the  Roman  Church  a  satisfaction 
and  a  cure.  But  he  did  not  therefore,  as  the 
manner  of  many  is,  assail  us  with  acrimonious 
criticism  or  contemptuous  reproach  ;  and  if  at  times 
he  replied  to  attacks  somewhat  sharply,  he  seemed 
to  do  so  in  obedience  to  the  imperious  and  inflexible 
principles  of  his  new  mistress.' 

In  the  same  sermon  he  contrasts  the  style  of 
preaching  of  Cardinal  Newman  and  Dr.  Liddon, 
whose  death  had  just  occurred. 

'  Let  me  pause  for  a  moment  in  order  to  say 
a  few  words  as  to  the  preaching  of  the  Cardinal 
and  Canon.  My  reminiscences  may  seem  trivial 
or  superficial,  but  they  are,  I  think,  somewhat 
characteristic.  It  has  been  my  fortune  to  hear 
both  these  great  preachers,  one  in  my  earlier 
years,  one  at  a  mature  age.  It  is  difficult  to  say 
which  was  the  more  impressive ;  but  it  is  certain 
that  the  impressions  were  produced  by  means  so 
different  as  to  be  almost  contrary.  I  seem  to  see 
John  Henry  Newman,  standing  (to  use  a  familiar 
phrase)  bolt  upright  in  the  pulpit,  with  spectacles 
on  nose,  with  arms  as  it  were  pinned  to  his  side, 
never  using  the  slightest  action  except  to  turn  over 
the  leaves  of  his  sermon,  trusting  entirely  for  effect 
to  the  modulation  of  a  voice  most  melodious,  but 
ranging,  I  believe,  through  a  very  limited  scale, 
yet  riveting  the  attention  of  his  hearers  as  if 
they  were  spell-bound.  One  sermon  still  dwells 
in  my  memory  with  vivid  force — it  was  that  on 
the  character  of  Saul  the  King.  We  marvelled 
how  so  little  apparent  effort  was  followed  by  effects 


CH.  II]        The  Martyrs'  Memorial  45 


so  great  and  permanent.  Many  who  now  hear  me 
must  have  seen  our  lost  friend,  Dr.  Liddon,  with  no 
less  sweetness  but  much  greater  vehemence  of  voice 
and  tone,  exerting  himself  to  the  utmost,  with  head 
thrown  back,  with  flashing  eye,  and  such  intense 
energy  of  declamation,  as  left  him  at  the  close  of 
his  discourse  in  a  state  of  great  exhaustion.  The 
earnestness  of  both  these  great  teachers  was  the 
same ;  the  thoughtfulness  inspired  by  them  was 
equal.  We  may  be  proud  that  both  were  sons 
of  Oxford.' 

The  beauty  of  this  extract  will  justify  its  inser- 
tion : — and  it  shows  Liddell's  appreciative  estimate 
of  Newman's  influence,  an  influence  by  which  he 
was  never  for  a  moment  dominated. 

But  if  there  is  little  trace  of  his  sympathy  with 
the  Oxford  movement,  he  gave  but  cold  support 
to  the  Evangelical  protest  against  it. 

'There  is  a  project  here,'  he  writes  in  1838,  'to 
put  up  a  monument  to  the  martyred  Bishops, 
Cranmer,  Ridley,  and  Latimer.  There  are  and 
will  be  many  difficulties  about  it,  arising  from  the 
disturbed  state  of  the  theological  opinion  both 
generally  in  the  country  and  particularly  at  Oxford, 
However,  I  hope  the  thing  may  be  got  successfully 
forward.  If  so,  when  the  architectural  question  of 
what  is  to  be  comes  to  be  discussed,  I  shall  take 
a  very  lively  interest  in  the  business.' 

Then,  and  apparently  not  till  then  ! 
In  the  years  1837-8,  his  pupil  Acland  was  travel- 
ling in  the  Mediterranean  for  his  health.    In  a  letter 


46 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


written  to  him  at  Athens,  after  giving  a  budget  of 
home  news,  Liddell  adds  : 

'  But  what  can  these  Western  turmoils  have  of 
interest  for  you,  who  are  now,  I  hope,  enjoying  the 
pure  air  of  Attica,  and  warming  all  your  classical 
associations  by  treading  the  ground  which  gave 
them  birth  ?  What  would  I  give  to  be  with  you, 
while  you  trace  the  long  walls,  and  seek  the 
olives  of  Academus,  and  the  white  hill  of  Colonus, 
and  all  those  other  places  whose  names  are  to  us 
as  household  words !  Now  do,  my  dear  Acland, 
take  pains,  and  make  many  (I  need  not  add  faithful) 
sketches  of  that  fair  land,  and  gladden  my  eyes 
with  more  representations  of  these  spots  which 
I  have  sometimes  fondly  dreamed  to  look  on, 
but  now  can  scarce  expect  to  do  so.  Especially 
will  you  make  me  a  correct  drawing  of  the 
Temple  of  Nike  Apteros  which  they  have  lately 
restored  ?  Also,  will  you  find  out  what  the  rock 
of  the  Acropolis  is,  and  generally  what  is  the 
nature  of  the  soil  ?  Lastly,  the  precise  distances 
of  well-known  points  would  be  a  very  useful 
thing  to  know.  But  it  were  endless  to  suggest 
points  on  which  you  might  give  me  information. 
I  should  like  to  hear  all  and  everything  that  you 
observe.' 

This  extract  serves  as  an  instance  of  his  relations 
to  his  favourite  pupils,  and  his  enthusiasm  for 
ancient  art.  Lord  Wemyss,  in  a  letter  to  Mrs. 
Liddell,  adds  a  characteristic  touch  to  the  picture. 

'  I  regarded  myself  as  the  most  fortunate  of  under- 
graduates at  Christ  Church  in  being  assigned  to  him 


CH.  Il] 


Love  of  Art 


47 


as  one  of  his  pupils,  and  from  the  first  we  became 
fast  friends — a  friendship  that,  as  you  know,  lasted 
through  life.  Art  was  a  great  bond  of  sympathy 
between  us ;  and  I  well  recollect  his  handing  to 
me,  to  look  at,  an  engraving  of  a  Raphael  picture. 
This,  when  he  handed  it  to  me,  I  took  hold  of  with 
one  hand,  to  his  great  consternation.  He  quickly 
took  it  from  me  and  said,  "  Never  hold  an  engraving 
with  one  hand,  for  then  you  mark  and  crumple  it. 
Always  use  two  hands  and  hold  it  thus : — one 
hand  near  the  top,  on  one  side,  the  other  near 
the  bottom  on  the  opposite  side."  Need  I  say 
that  this  lesson  I  have  never  forgotten,  though 
I  fear  the  Classics  he  so  well  taught  me  are 
things  of  the  forgotten  past ! ' 

But  Lord  Wemyss  ought  not  to  have  forgotten 
them,  for  Liddell  was  an  excellent  Tutor. 

'  I  admired  and  loved  him  from  my  heart,'  writes 
another  old  pupil,  the  Rev.  H.  A.  Harvey.  '  His 
mode  of  giving  advice  and  instruction  endeared 
him  to  me.  They  were  given  in  few,  but  telling 
words.  You  felt  that  your  sense  and  your  honour 
and  your  character  as  a  Christian  were  appealed 
to ;  you  were  not  coaxed  or  preached  to.  Some 
thought  him  rude  and  haughty ;  he  appeared  to 
me  to  be  a  good  specimen  of  the  fi€yaX6\lrv)(^os, 
the  character  in  Aristotle  which  he  evidently 
admired.  He  used  to  instance  it  in  Dr.  Johnson. 
I  owe  an  immense  deal  to  Liddell.  He  fired  my 
ambition,  and  he  taught  me  to  read  the  Greek 
Testament  regularly  and  "  like  a  Christian,"  for  he 
had  no  idea  of  cramming  for  an  examination.  .  .  . 
He  was  a  great  man  for  the  text  of  books.    At  that 


48 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


time  it  was  not  customary  for  the  Tutors  to  see 
their  pupils  of  an  evening ;  but  Liddell  did  it, 
at  least  with  me,  and  would  give  me  special  help 
then  in  any  books  in  which  he  thought  me  behind- 
hand. The  example  which  he  himself  set  of 
industry  was  evidenced  by  the  way  in  which  we 
used  to  find  him  working  at  his  Lexicon.  In  the 
interval  between  one  Lecture  and  another  he  would 
be  found  standing  at  his  desk  over  his  interleaved 
copy  of  the  first  edition,  correcting  and  amending 
it.  And  that  standing  desk  recalls  his  advice  which 
I  have  ever  since  treasured  both  in  reading  and 
in  writing :  "  Keep  your  books  open,  ready  to  be 
returned  to  when  you  come  back  to  work." ' 

In  the  year  1838  he  experienced  a  very  heavy 
sorrow,  the  first  great  bereavement  of  his  life,  in  the 
unexpected  death  of  his  sister  Harriett,  at  the  age 
of  eighteen.  She  was  a  singularly  beautiful  girl, 
and  had  already  attracted  the  love  of  one  of  Liddell's 
most  intimate  friends,  Stephen  Denison,  who  has 
been  before  mentioned  as  a  member  of  the  '  Tribes ' 
club,  and  had,  like  his  brother,  attained  high  distinc- 
tion at  Oxford.  Harriett  Liddell  had  shown  symptoms 
of  delicacy  in  the  winter  of  1837-8,  but  nothing 
serious  was  apprehended ;  and  though,  during  the 
early  spring,  she  had  been  ailing  and  weak,  plans 
were  being  formed  and  discussed  for  a  happy  summer 
tour  on  the  continent.  However,  in  the  end  of  April, 
a  visit  to  London,  and  consultation  with  Sir  James 
Clarke,  revealed  the  existence  of  very  grave  lung 
mischief,  and  she  grew  worse  so  rapidly  that  she 
sank  to  her  rest  before  the  end  of  the  second  week 


CH.  II]  Death  of  his  Sister  49 


of  May.  The  blow,  so  sudden  and  so  heavy,  brought 
out  all  that  was  deepest  and  tenderest  in  Liddell's 
character.  His  letters  show  the  poignancy  of  his 
grief,  the  warmth  of  his  affection,  and  his  anxious 
desire  to  comfort  the  mourners  and  the  almost 
broken-hearted  Stephen  Denison.  He  would  not 
have  wished  his  words  to  be  quoted.  After  the 
funeral  at  Wimbledon  he  was  obliged  to  return  to 
his  Oxford  duties,  but 

*  though  I  can  get  on  pretty  well  when  I  have 
a  lecture,  yet  alone  I  find  it  impossible  to  collect 
my  thoughts  and  prevent  them  from  straying  to 
other  scenes  and  other  times.  ...  I  have  resumed 
my  original  intention  of  being  ordained  Priest  on 
next  (Trinity)  Sunday.  Reading  the  Bible,  I  find, 
is  the  only  thing  in  which  I  can  find  lasting  relief 
just  now,  and  I  do  not  know  any  reason  to  put  it  off.' 

And  on  the  day  of  his  Ordination  he  writes  : 

'  I  have  read  your  memoir  of  our  beloved,  not 
with  dry  eyes — not  with  dry  eyes.  I  would  set  my 
seal  to  the  truth  of  every  word  of  it.  No  parent's 
fondness  could  exalt  ormagnify  the  gentle  unassuming 
virtues  of  that  bright  and  lovely  creature.  It  is  a  trite 
saying,  but  the  more  I  think  of  it,  the  more  true 
I  think  it  in  her  case,  that  she  was  too  good  and 
pure  to  remain  among  us.  And  earnestly  did  I  raise 
my  mind  in  prayer,  while  I  kneeled  this  day  before 
the  Bishop,  that  I  might  by  God's  Holy  Spirit  be 
enabled  so  to  purify  myself  here  on  earth,  and  so 
exalt  my  being  while  I  am  left  here,  that  I  may 
be  able  of  a  truth  "  to  put  on  Christ,"  and  be  made 

H 


50  Life  at  Christ  Church         [ch.  n 


meet  to  see  her  once  more  face  to  face,  and  to  dwell 
with  her  never  more  to  part.' 

The  wound  healed  gradually ;  and  work  at  Oxford 
went  on  quietly,  strenuously,  and  successfully.  The 
great  labour  of  his  life,  the  Lexicon,  had  now  made 
considerable  progress,  and  was  the  constant  com- 
panion of  his  spare  hours.  His  duties  as  a  Tutor 
grew  in  interest  and  importance,  as  the  number  of 
his  pupils  increased,  and  they  requited  the  pains 
bestowed  upon  them  by  acquitting  themselves 
brilliantly  in  the  Schools.  The  excellence  of  his 
College  lectures  is  still  remembered ;  and  Sir  Henry 
Acland  tells  of  a  petition  made  by  those  who 
were  attending  his  weekly  lectures  on  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles  that  he  would  break  through  the 
customary  rule,  and  give  them  every  week  some 
additional  lectures  on  the  subject.  After  full  con- 
sideration he  felt  obliged  to  decline  the  request,  on 
the  ground  that  his  consent  might  seem  to  cast 
a  slur  upon  his  brother  Tutors, 

His  taste  on  all  matters  of  Art,  carefully  trained 
by  congenial  study,  had  by  now  gained  a  wider 
appreciation ;  he  was  recognized  as  an  authority  on 
the  subject  in  Oxford. 

'  I  have  lately,'  he  writes  in  Nov.  1839,  'had  an 
office  conferred  on  me  which  pleased  me,  though 
it  is  rather  honourable  than  profitable.  Mr.  Taylor 
(father  of  little  Michael  Angelo  Taylor),  some  time 
an  Oxford  Tutor  and  dignitary,  left  a  sum  of  money 
for  building  and  endowing  a  College  for  the  promo- 
tion of  modern  languages  and  literature.    This  sum 


CH.  II]  College  Lectures 


51 


was  paid  on  Michael  Angelo's  death.  Also  a  Dr. 
Randolph  left  some  money  to  build  a  Picture  and 
Statue  Gallery.  The  two  are  to  be  combined,  and 
one  building  erected  for  the  two  purposes — one 
building  that  is,  as  to  outward  appearance,  though 
within  the  two  will  be  kept  separate.  Now  the 
University  have  desired  a  number  of  architects  to 
send  in  plans  for  competition,  and  have  appointed 
a  Delegacy  to  decide  on  the  best.  I  am  one  of  the 
said  Delegacy.  So  you  see  the  Liddell  name 
becomes  connected  with  the  Fine  Arts  on  all  sides. 
Tell  my  father  that  Mr.  Cockerell  (an  old  school- 
fellow of  his)  and  Salvin,  whom  you  know,  I  think, 
have  sent  in  far  the  best  plans,  architecturally,  and 
I  do  not  doubt  one  of  them  will  get  the  prize.  But 
Cockerell's  will  be  far  too  expensive  to  execute. 
I  hope  Salvin's  may  be  managed.  But  do  not  say 
anything  about  this.    I  ought  not  to  talk  of  it.' 

Professor  Cockerell's  design  was,  as  is  well  known, 
ultimately  accepted. 

As  time  went  on,  additional  honours  and  duties 
fell  to  his  lot.  In  1838,  Gaisford  had  appointed 
him  Greek  Reader  in  Christ  Church,  in  the  place 
of  Kynaston,  who  had  been  elected  High  Master 
of  St.  Paul's.  This  involved  the  preparation  of 
lectures  to  be  delivered  to  the  whole  of  the  first 
year  men.    He  was  appointed,  he  writes, 

'  above  the  head  of  one  of  my  seniors,  which,  though 
gratifying  to  me,  will  be  more  so  to  you  probably. 
For  indeed,  I  had  rather  he  had  been  appointed, 
partly  because  I  have  quite  enough  to  do,  partly 
because  some  little  heart-burning  may  arise  in  con- 

H  2 


52 


Life  at  CJirist  Church 


[CH.  ir 


sequence  of  the  old  boy's  marked  preference  for  me, 
on  this  as  well  as  on  some  other  occasions.' 

In  1842  he  became  Select  Preacher  for  the  first 
time  ^  and  during  his  tenure  of  that  office  he  wrote 
to  his  sister : 

'  I  have  now  preached  both  my  sermons  for  the 
Term  before  the  University,  not  without  applause. 
I  must  tell  you  that  the  Dean  told  me  he  was  very 
much  pleased  with  my  second  sermon  :  "  Very  much, 
I  liked  it  very  much.  I  thought  it  a  very  excellent 
composition."  This  is  much  from  him,  and  I  did 
not  in  the  least  expect  it.  He  did  not  hear  my  first, 
he  said.  "He  debarred  himself  from  the  pleasure 
of  hearing  me,  because  of  the  badness  of  the  day." 
I  suppose  this  will  give  you  pleasure  to  hear,  and 
therefore  I  record  it.' 

A  little  later,  in  June  1S44,  he  writes  to  his  mother: 

'  I  preached  my  last  University  sermon  yesterday, 
I  had  great  compliments.  Gaisford  and  Dr.  Hamp- 
den, wonderful  to  relate,  concur  in  their  praises. 
The  subject  was  Unity,  r^o\.  Uniformity,  an  attempt 
to  persuade  people  to  agree  to  differ,  a  rather  delicate 
subject ;  but  I  am  assured  I  handled  the  matter  so 
as  not  to  appear  a  partisan,  or  to  attack  any  persons 
specially — so  the  Dean  says.' 

He  was  naturally  called  upon  to  act  as  Public 
Examiner;  and  in  1S45  "^^'^s  elected  White's 
Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy.    In  the  same  year 

^  Canon  Ellacombe,  who  was  examined  by  him  for  his  B.A. 
degree,  heard  his  first  University  sermon.  '  As  he  stood  up  he 
looked  the  picture  of  firmness  and  almost  defiance  ;  but  I  can  re- 
member the  astonishment  of  the  undergraduates  when  they  saw 
the  evident  nervousness  of  the  man  whom  they  so  dreaded.' 


CH.  II]    Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy  53 


he  became  Censor ;  and  was  also  appointed  by 
Bishop  Blomfield  to  the  office  of  Whitehall  Preacher. 
In  the  following  year  he  became  Proctor.  In 
January  1846  he  writes  : 

'  The  Tutor  next  to  me  has  a  brother  who  has 
turned  Roman  Catholic,  and  he  is  not  quite  clear  of 
suspicion ;  so  he  has  resigned  his  place,  though  he 
declares  that  he  has  no  intention  of  leaving  the 
Church.  This  throws  all  our  arrangements  into 
confusion,  and  puts  four  new  pupils  into  my  hands, 
so  that  in  all  I  have  no  less  than  thirty-six.  What 
with  the  Professorship,  and  my  Whitehall  Sermons, 
and  lecturing  these  thirty-six,  I  shall  have  no  easy 
berth.  And  I  fear  with  my  Proctorship,  an  office 
soon  to  come  to  me,  it  will  be  still  worse.' 

Of  his  work  as  Professor,  Osborne  Gordon,  who 
succeeded  Liddell  as  Proctor,  spoke  with  great 
admiration  in  his  Or  alio  Procuratoria.  He  men- 
tioned the  crowd  of  students  who  attended,  and  the 
clearness  with  which  the  opinions  of  ancient  Philo- 
sophers were  illustrated  and  explained  in  their 
bearings  on  questions  of  modern  days.  Liddell 
used  to  illustrate  the  Ethics  by  quotations  from  Jane 
Austen's  novels  and  other  modern  writing^s. 

One  more  distinction  must  be  recorded  ;  his 
appointment  in  January  1846  as  domestic  Chaplain 
to  H.R.H.  Prince  Albert.  On  January  14  he  wrote 
to  his  sister : 

'  You  will  be  glad  to  hear  that,  on  my  return  to 
Oxford  )esterday,  I  found  a  letter  from  Mr.  G. 
Anson,  Secretary  to  Prince  Albert,  offering  me  the 


54 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


Prince's  Chaplaincy  vacated  by  the  elevation  of 
Wilberforce  to  the  Episcopal  Bench.  It  is  only  an 
Honorary  appointment,  i.  e.  there  is  no  pay.  Still  it 
is  an  honour,  and  the  offer  is  conveyed  in  very  hand- 
some terms,  for  it  speaks  of  my  "  eminent  Academ- 
ical and  professional  career"  ;  and  says  the  Prince  is 
anxious  to  attach  to  his  person  "  one  who  has  kept 
the  even  tenour  of  his  way  amid  the  perils  by  which 
his  path  at  Oxford  was  beset."  So  that  I  suppose 
I  may  consider  it  as  a  sign  that  my  name  is  not 
unknown  or  unnoticed  in  high  quarters.  Also,  Mr. 
Anson  was  pleased  to  say  that  the  Prince  was  anxious 
that  the  appointment  should  not  be  merely  nominal, 
but  that  he  wished  sometimes  to  have  personal  com- 
munication with  his  Chaplains,  yet  that  the  duties 
would  not  be  of  such  a  kind  as  to  infringe  upon  my 
time.' 

This  appointment  was  the  beginning  of  a  gracious 
friendship  which  ripened  from  year  to  year,  as  the 
Prince  learnt  to  appreciate  more  and  more  the  sound 
judgment  and  generous  theological  opinions  of  his 
new  Chaplain.  He  always  showed  cordial  and 
helpful  sympathy  with  his  subsequent  work  at 
Westminster,  paid  frequent  visits  to  the  school, 
and  took  a  keen  interest  in  the  proposal  for  its 
removal  into  the  country,  even  visiting,  in  company 
with  the  Headmaster,  several  sites  which  had 
been  suggested  for  its  new  home.  The  Queen, 
it  is  not  improper  to  state,  shared  her  Consort's 
feelings :  their  confidence  in  him  was  shown  by 
placing  the  Prince  of  Wales  under  his  charge  at 
Oxford  in  1859,  as  well  as  by  many  other  marks 


CH.  Il] 


Whitehall  Preacher 


55 


of  Royal  favour.  In  April  1846  he  was  for  the 
first  time  summoned  to  Windsor  to  preach  before 
the  Court. 

His  sermons  before  the  University  and  in  the 
Chapel   Royal,   Whitehall,   attracted  considerable 
notice,  from  the  grace  of  their  diction,  the  dignity  of 
their  delivery,  and  the  calm  and  deliberate  judgment 
with  which  the  fundamental  truths  of  Theology  were 
brought  into  relation  with  the  questions  and  needs 
of  the  day.    Liddell  was  never  a  popular  preacher, 
in  the  usual  sense  of  the  expression.    He  never 
aimed  at  mere  effect,  he  never  studied  to  please  his 
audience,  or  engage  their  attention  by  rhetorical  arts. 
His  language  was  always  severely  simple,  but  never 
lacking  stateliness  and  beauty.    He  was  rarely, 
if  ever,  controversial ;  he  desired  to  go  beyond 
controversy,  and  exhibit  Divine  Truth  in  a  more 
exalted  relation.    And  at  Whitehall,  in  those  days, 
an  opportunity  was  afforded  of  speaking  on  weighty 
topics  to  a  congregation  singularly  well  adapted  to 
encourage  the  preacher  to  put  forth  his  very  best. 
It  was  customary  for  the  Bishop  of  London,  as  Dean 
of  the  Chapels  Royal,  to  nominate  two  persons,  one 
from  each  of  the  old  Universities,  who  held  office 
for  a  period  of  two  years,  and  were  responsible  for 
the  bulk  of  the  Sunday  sermons.    The  Chapel  was 
the  Banqueting  Hall  of  the  ancient  Palace — now 
the  United  Services  Museum — fitted  up,  somewhat 
incongruously,  for  Divine  worship.    A  huge  Royal 
Pew  faced  the  Pulpit,  which  was  placed  midway 
along  the  Eastern  side  of  the  building,  with  reading 


56 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


desk  and  clerk's  pew  in  front  of  it.  There  were 
special  sittings  assigned  to  members  of  the  two 
Houses  of  Parliament,  to  Cabinet  Ministers,  and 
the  various  Heads  of  Departments  who  occupied 
official  residences  in  Whitehall.  Many  distinguished 
families  also  were  then  resident  in  that  neighbour- 
hood—a district  not  as  yet  abandoned  to  clubs  and 
offices — and  had  the  privilege  of  seats  in  the  Chapel ; 
and  the  general  public  were  not  excluded.  The 
congregations,  especially  during  the  sessions  of  Par- 
liament, were  very  large,  and  comprised  many  of  the 
foremost  and  ablest  men  of  the  day.  Liddell  was 
fully  equal  to  the  task  of  preaching  before  so  critical 
an  audience,  and  attracted  great  numbers  to  hear 
him.  He  speaks  more  than  once  in  his  letters  of 
the  large  congregations — many  people  standing 
some  even  sent  away ;  of  Peel  and  Canning  among 
his  hearers ;  and  of  requests  by  strangers  to  be 
allowed  to  read  the  sermon  just  delivered. 

Dean  Boyle,  in  his  Recollections,  writes  : 

*  It  was  interesting  to  see  Peel  and  some  members 
of  his  Government  on  Sundays  at  Whitehall  Chapel, 
listening  attentively  to  the  Oxford  and  Cambridge 
preachers.  H.  G.  Liddell,  afterwards  Dean  of  Christ 
Church,  preached  once  on  the  text  "  Stretch  forth 
thy  hand."  "  One  of  the  most  remarkable  sermons 
I  have  ever  heard,"  said  Peel  to  a  friend  as  he  left 
the  Chapel ;  and  on  my  telling  this  to  Mr.  Packe, 
then  M.P.  for  Leicestershire  (I  think),  he  said, 
"  I  daresay  Sir  Robert  will  put  Liddell's  name  on 
his  Bishop's  list".' 


CH.  n] 


Estimate  of  his  Sermons 


57 


A  comment  in  Liddell's  handwriting  adds  : 

'  I  am  heartily  glad  Mr.  Packe's  prophecy  was 
not  fulfilled.  I  hope  I  should  have  had  resolution 
enough  to  decline  such  an  offer.  I  was  quite  unfit 
to  be  a  Bishop.' 

Up  to  this  time  Liddell's  career  had  been 
one  of  uninterrupted  progress  and  well-deserved 
success.  He  was  among  the  foremost  of  the 
Oxford  Tutors  :  he  had  gained  a  Professorship, 
and  was  discharging  its  duties  admirably,  attract- 
ing many  graduates  and  undergraduates  to  his 
official  lectures  :  he  was  becoming  very  favour- 
ably known  as  a  preacher :  and  the  publication 
of  the  Lexicon  in  the  summer  of  1843  had  won 
for  him  the  grateful  approbation  of  every  Greek 
scholar,  and  had  already  made  "  Liddell  and  Scott " 
a  name  full  of  awful  meaning  to  every  school- 
boy. 

It  is  interesting  to  read  the  estimate  formed 
of  him  at  this  time  by  his  very  intimate  friend 
Stephen  Denison,  who  writes  to  Mr.  Thomas  Lyon 
Fellowes  in  May  1845: 

'  As  I  know  that  Henry  Liddell  has  confided 
to  you  a  secret  (which  I  need  not  further  par- 
ticularize) I  cannot  resist  taking  the  opportunity 
of  half  an  hour's  leisure  to  say  how  very  great 
an  interest  I  take  in  his  success,  and  how  ex- 
tremely anxious  I  am  that  his  hopes  should  be 
realized ;  and  as  you  are  so  closely  connected 
with  the  object  of  his  attachment,  I  believe  you 
will  not  think  me  impertinent  in  saying  a  few  words 

I 


58 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


about  one  of  the  dearest  friends  I  have  in  the 
world.  I  have  known  him  so  long,  and  been  so 
very  intimate  with  him,  and  under  such  very 
peculiar  circumstances,  that  I  believe  no  man  is 
better  authorized  to  speak  of  him  than  myself. 
.  .  .  I  have  now  known  him  about  fifteen  years 
as  intimately  as  possible ;  and  I  have  always 
noted  him  down  in  my  mind  as  the  most  nearly 
"  blameless  "  man  I  ever  knew  ;  the  most  generous, 
kind-hearted,  amiable  fellow,  with  a  delicacy  of 
feeling  and  taste  almost  too  refined  for  the  rough 
work  of  everyday  life.  I  need  not  speak  to 
you  or  to  any  one  of  his  intellectual  powers :  they 
are  known  to  all  the  literary  world.  But  I  may 
say  that  I  know  no  one  with  such  abilities  and 
learning  who  is  at  the  same  time  so  modest  and 
unpretending.  If  an  amiable,  excellent,  very  clever 
and  accomplished  man,  highly  connected,  belong- 
ing to  a  delightful  family,  having  innumerable 
friends,  enjoying  a  reputation  both  for  talent  and 
excellence  rarely  attained  so  early  in  life,  and 
whose  prospects  of  advancement  and  honours  are 
the  fairest  that  can  be : — if  such  a  man  can  make 
a  woman  happy,  Henry  Liddell  is  the  man.' 

This  letter  refers  to  an  event  which  took  place 
early  in  1845,  and  which  soon  changed  the  course 
of  his  life  and  formed  the  prelude  to  more  than  fifty 
years  of  domestic  happiness,  his  engagement  to  be 
married  to  Miss  Lorina  Reeve.  It  would  be  un- 
becoming to  dwell  at  length  upon  this  occurrence, 
and  all  that  it  involved.  It  is  enough  to  insist,  in 
passing,  upon  the  fact  that  no  estimate  of  Liddell's 
character  would  be  complete  which  did  not  take 


CH.  II]       Engageinent  to  be  married 


59 


into  account  the  brightness  and  helpfulness  of  his 
domestic  life  in  all  its  relations ;  his  devotion  to 
his  wife  and  children ;  the  close  bond  of  deep 
mutual  affection ;  the  prominent  place  they  occu- 
pied in  all  his  thoughts  and  plans  of  usefulness. 
The  love  which  hitherto  had  been  centred  in  his 
parents  and  brothers  and  sisters,  now  —  without 
losing  its  old  objects — gathered  new  ones  for  its 
exercise,  and  received  in  turn  strength  and  stead- 
fastness from  them ;  and,  in  the  joys  of  an  almost 
ideally  refined  and  charming  home,  was  found  a 
consecration  of  all  labour,  and  a  resting-place  of 
all  ambition. 

*  Be  not  ambitious,'  he  writes  just  after  receiving 
the  appointment  to  the  Royal  Chaplaincy,  '  desire 
not  high  place  for  me.  We  shall  be  far  happier 
in  a  private  station  with  a  competency  than  with 
dignity  and  wealth.  I  feel  it  to  be  so  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart.  Cares,  occupation,  troubles, 
business,  all  sorts  of  things  will  interfere  with  the 
placid  and  happy  enjoyments  of  life.  .  .  .  Freedom, 
contentment,  sufficiency  —  that  is  what  we  want. 
More  than  this  is  "vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit".' 

The  immediate  effect  of  his  engagement  was 
a  resolution  to  leave  the  work  at  Christ  Church, 
and  to  seek  some  sphere  of  activity  which  a  wife 
could  share.  The  College  would  miss  him  much. 
Gaisford,  in  his  quaint  way,  told  Dr.  Bull  that 
'  he  was  going  to  sustain  a  great  loss ;  that  he 
found  that  love  and  lexicography  were  not  incom- 
patible.'    Liddell  had  determined   to   resign  his 

I  2 


6o 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


[CH.  II 


various  offices  at  Oxford  in  the  summer  of  1846, 
at  the  end  of  the  academical  year,  and  was  dis- 
cussing future  plans,  when  the  offer  by  Dean 
Gaisford  of  the  Headmastership  of  Westminster 
brought  a  happy  solution  of  the  question. 

The  offer  was  not  wholly  unexpected.  Dr. 
Williamson's  resignation  of  the  Headmastership, 
after  eighteen  years'  service,  was  rumoured  in  the 
spring  of  1846,  and  the  nomination  of  his  successor 
rested  absolutely  with  the  Dean  of  Christ  Church. 
It  was  not  likely  that,  when  the  choice  had 
to  be  made,  Gaisford  would  prefer  any  one  to 
Liddell,  whose  claims  were  conspicuous,  and  for 
whom  the  Dean  had  already  on  many  occasions 
shown  his  high  regard.  He  was  known  to  be 
engaged  to  be  married,  and  to  be  seeking  fresh 
work.    The  offer  came  on  May  5. 

'  This  morning,  after  Chapel,  the  Dean  called 
me  to  follow  him  to  his  house,  and  without  many 
words  told  me  that  he  had  determined  to  propose 
to  me  to  become  Headmaster  of  Westminster. 
He  said  he  did  not  wish  for  an  immediate  answer, 
for  there  would  probably  be  several  questions  I 
would  wish  to  ask  before  I  determined.' 

The  matter  had  indeed  been  already  privately 
discussed  between  Liddell  and  his  friend  Saunders 
of  Charterhouse,  and  inquiries  about  the  condition 
of  the  school  and  the  chief  difficulties  to  be  faced 
had  been  made  of  the  Rev.  T.  W.  Weare,  a 
brother  student,  then  Under-master  at  Westminster, 
who  was  most  anxious  to  secure  Liddell  for  his 


CH.  II]      IVesfminster  School  in  1846 


61 


new  chief.  There  were  many  questions  to  be  con- 
sidered. The  numbers  of  the  school  had  fallen 
of  late  to  between  seventy  and  eighty,  and 
its  ancient  prestige  had  greatly  declined.  The 
neighbourhood  of  the  school  was  bad ;  parents 
preferred  country  schools  ;  and  for  these  and  other 
reasons  it  had  come  to  pass  that  the  College  and 
the  boarding-houses  were  only  partly  filled.  The 
school,  moreover,  had  no  property  of  its  own,  but 
was  dependent  on  the  Dean  and  Chapter  for  all 
its  funds  beyond  a  few  small  statutory  allowances ; 
and  all  money  spent  upon  improvements  dimin- 
ished their  income.  There  were  three  boarding- 
houses.  Grant's,  Benthall's,  and  Scott's  ;  but  these 
were  not  Chapter  or  school  property.  They  be- 
longed to  private  owners  who  had  bought  them 
on  speculation  when  the  school  was  flourishing, 
and  could  only  be  re-purchased  at  a  considerable 
price.  In  two  of  them,  no  master  lived,  and  the 
discipline  was  under  very  imperfect  control.  The 
forty  Queen's  Scholars  were  lodged  in  the  College, 
and  were  more  or  less  under  the  supervision  of 
the  Under-master,  who  occupied  the  adjoining 
house  :  but,  as  the  Queen's  Scholars  were  always 
elected  from  the  town  boys,  who,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  very  few  day  boys,  were  the  occupants 
of  the  boarding-houses,  it  was  clear  that  if  the 
College  was  to  be  in  a  satisfactory  state,  the  condi- 
tion of  the  boarding-houses  must  be  first  looked  to. 

The  teaching  staff,  moreover,  was  very  small 
and  ineffective.    The  Headmaster  took  the  highest 


62  Life  at  Christ  Church  [ch.  n 


Forms,  the  Vllth  and  Vlth,  The  whole  of  the 
Lower  School  was  taught  by  the  Under-master. 
The  intermediate  Forms  were  in  the  hands  of 
three  Ushers,  two  of  whom  were  '  old  stagers.' 

'The  Shell  Usher'  (writes  Canon  Rich,  who 
was  Captain  in  Williamson's  last  days)  '  was  rather 
a  jolly  old  fellow,  but  he  got  very  little  out  of 
his  Form ;  and  sham  exercises  were  often  given 
up  on  the  chance  of  their  not  being  looked  at. 
The  Usher  of  the  Vth  was  certainly  a  clever  man, 
but  I  am  not  sure  that  he  was  a  good  teacher.' 

There  were  no  Class-rooms,  except  the  Library, 
where  the  Headmaster  taught  his  boys.  The 
rest  of  the  work  was  all  done  amid  the  publicity 
and  noise  of  the  big  schoolroom.  In  College  there 
was  but  one  spacious  chamber,  the  long  Dormitory, 
used  day  and  night,  for  study  and  sleep,  by  the 
forty  Queen's  Scholars. 

It  was  clear  that  the  new  Headmaster  would 
have  to  make  many  changes,  and  offend  many 
prejudices,  if  he  were  to  bring  the  school  up  to 
a  decent  level.  Liddell  had  a  high  conception  of 
efficiency,  and  a  brilliant  reputation  to  sustain,  and 
he  was  determined  not  to  accept  the  Mastership 
unless  he  came  to  some  clear  understanding  with 
the  Dean  and  Chapter,  and  knew  exactly  what 
to  expect  from  them.  Fortunately  Dr.  Buckland, 
who  had  lately  succeeded  Samuel  Wilberforce  as 
Dean  of  Westminster,  was  equally  anxious  to  effect 
improvements ;  and  as  he  was  at  this  time  still  a 
Canon  of  Christ  Church,  Liddell  was  able  to  consult 


CH.  II]  Offered  Westminster  Headmastership  63 


him  at  once,  on  the  very  day  on  which  the  Dean's 
offer  was  made. 

'  I  met  Buckland  by  appointment,  and  walked 
three  times  round  the  meadow  with  him,  discuss- 
ing the  whole  subject.  He  told  me  freely  all 
that  it  was  intended  to  do,  and  all  that  I  might 
expect  from  the  Chapter.  He  said  they  were 
going  to  make  a  thorough  reform  of  the  whole 
management  of  the  institution ;  that  means  might 
be  devised  for  getting  rid  of  two  Ushers  who 
at  present  interfere  with  all  prospects  of  improve- 
ment ;  that  all  Old  Westminsters  with  whom  he 
had  spoken — the  Archbishop  of  York,  Lord  Gran- 
ville Somerset,  &c. — had  expressed  their  hopes 
that  I  should  be  appointed ;  that  Sir  Robert  Peel 
and  Sir  James  Graham  both  desired  it ;  and 
that  all  Westminsters  confessed  that  they  had  no 
man  of  their  own  who  could  hope  to  restore  the 
College  to  its  ancient  glories.  The  present  emolu- 
ments are  ^600  or  £"]00  a  year.  The  house  is 
very  good,  he  says,  but  no  one  can  live  in  it 
under  ^1,000  a  year;  and  as  the  Dean  himself 
cannot  keep  a  carriage,  of  course  a  Prebendary 
cannot,  nor  the  Master,  unless  he  has  a  private 
fortune.' 

Liddell  was  naturally  not  without  perplexity ;  if 
he  took  the  post,  it  would  be  necessary  to  have 
a  clear  promise  from  the  Chapter,  as  to  ways  and 
means ;  he  would  be  obliged  to  supersede  some  of 
the  Ushers,  a  painful  task;  and  to  get  effective 
control  over  the  boarding-houses.  But  all  this 
was  so  far  satisfactorily  settled,  or  in  the  way  of 


64 


Life  at  Christ  Church 


settlement,  that  before  the  end  of  May  he  felt 
himself  able  to  write  to  his  future  wife : 

*  I  have  seen  Dean  Buckland,  and  have  accepted 
the  terms  offered.  It  is  now  publicly  known  that 
I  am  Archididascalus  Westmonasteriensis  elect.  I 
have  been  already  congratulated  by  several  Old 
Westminsters  with  warm  wishes  for  my  success.  .  .  . 
And  so,  now,  it  is  all  settled,  and  a  heavy  weight 
is  off  my  mind,  though  I  have  taken  a  heavy  yoke 
upon  my  neck.  At  least,  there  will  be  some  very 
disagreeable  work  to  begi^i  with.  But  I  have  made 
up  my  mind  to  begin  in  earnest,  and  go  through 
with  it.' 

At  the  close  of  the  Summer  Term  he  left  Christ 
Church.  His  marriage  took  place  at  the  end  of 
July,  and,  after  a  short  holiday  in  North  Wales,  he 
settled  down  to  his  new  and  arduous  task. 


CHAPTER  III 


THE  LEXICON 

The  Lexicon  was  the  great  work  of  Liddell's 
life.  It  was  begun  while  he  and  Robert  Scott  were 
still  Bachelors  of  Arts,  perhaps  as  early  as  1834. 
After  many  years  of  arduous  labour,  it  was  published 
in  the  summer  of  1843.  But  that  date  marks  the 
completion  of  only  the  first  stage  in  an  undertaking 
which  was  continued  almost  to  the  close  of  his  life  ; 
the  eighth  edition  being  published,  after  careful 
revision,  in  1897.  The  Lexicon  was  his  constant 
companion  in  Term  and  in  Vacation.  His  spare 
moments  were  regularly  devoted  to  the  task  of 
revising,  correcting,  and  enlarging  its  pages,  and 
bringing  it  up  to  the  level  of  advancing  scholarship. 
For  many  years  with  Scott  as  his  coadjutor,  and  then 
for  many  years  unaided,  he  continually  endeavoured 
to  make  the  bulky  volume  as  perfect  as  possible : 
and  to  this  unremitting  care  is  due  the  permanent 
success  of  the  work.  There  has  been  no  room  for 
a  rival :  it  has  never  become  out  of  date. 

It  cannot  now  be  ascertained  to  what  cause  the 

K 


66 


The  Lexicon 


[CH.  Ill 


book  owed  its  origination.  The  simplest  account 
is  that  it  was  due  to  a  request  from  Talboys,  the 
well-known  Oxford  publisher,  for  whose  firm  it  was 
undoubtedly  at  first  undertaken.  It  is  said  that 
Talboys  first  sounded  Scott,  who,  after  taking  time 
to  consider  the  proposal,  said  that  he  would  accept 
it  if  Liddell  would  join  with  him.  Talboys'  death 
led  to  its  ultimate  publication  by  the  University 
Press.  There  is,  however,  a  tradition  that  the 
authors  were  first  encouraged  to  their  task  by 
the  suggestion  of  William  Sewell,  then  Fellow  of 
Exeter  and  a  leading  Oxford  Tutor,  known  after- 
wards as  Founder  and  third  Warden  of  Radley 
College.  Sewell  is  reported  to  have  met  Liddell 
at  a  gathering  of  some  Essay  Club  in  Oxford,  at 
which  the  subject  of  Greek  Lexicography  was  dis- 
cussed, and  to  have  urged  him  to  undertake  the 
task  of  compiling  a  Greek-English  Lexicon.  Un- 
doubtedly Sewell  was  well  able  to  judge  of  the 
ability  of  Liddell  and  Scott  to  perform  such  a  work, 
for  he  had  but  lately  examined  them  both  for  their 
Degree :  and  the  need  of  a  new  Lexicon  was 
universally  acknowledged.  It  is  certain  that  Gais- 
ford  gave  the  writers  constant  encouragement :  and 
his  own  example  would  have  been  a  powerful 
incentive  to  the  two  young  Students  of  Christ 
Church.    In  a  letter  to  Vaughan  Liddell  writes : 

'  Sewell  thinks  the  Oxford  mind  is  running  too 
much  to  pure  Theology  :  if  you  think  so  too,  and 
also  like  him  regret  it,  you  will  be  glad  to  hear  that 
some  of  us  are — in  all  likelihood — about  to  close  an 


CH.  Ill] 


Earlier  Lexicons 


67 


engagement  with  Talboys  for  a  Lexicon  founded 
chiefly  on  Passow ;  indeed  I  dare  say  it  will  be 
nearly  a  translation.  This  sentence  is  rather 
arrogant,  for  the  "  some  of  us,"  after  all,  is  only 
Scott  and  myself.  At  present  you  need  say 
nothing  about  it.  The  Dean  encourages  the 
project  very  much,  and  has  given  us  a  number 
of  valuable  hints.' 

It  is  indeed  a  matter  of  surprise  that  such  a 
work  had  not  already  been  done.  We  can  scarcely 
understand  how — without  some  such  help — the 
average  student  in  those  days  was  able  to  fight 
his  way  through  Greek  authors.  Till  a  very  few 
years  previously,  there  had  been  no  such  book  as 
a  Greek-English  Lexicon ;  Greek  was  interpreted 
to  the  English  reader  only  through  the  medium 
of  the  Latin  tongue.  One  can  still  remember 
Schrevelius,  Hederic,  and  Scapula  as  the  ultimate 
authorities  at  school ;  and  formidable  volumes  they 
were.  Some  poor  attempts  had  been  recently  made 
to  provide  a  Greek-English  Lexicon  by  Donnegan, 
Dunbar,  and  Giles ;  but  none  of  these  books  was  at 
all  adequate  to  the  requirements  of  scholars :  they 
were  unscientific  in  the  treatment  of  words,  and 
suffered  from  lack  of  methodical  arrangement,  and 
redundancy  of  English  equivalents ;  or  else  from 
over-brevity.  In  Germany,  however,  a  better  type 
of  Lexicon  had  been  published  by  F.  Passow,  based 
upon  the  profound  work  of  his  elder  colleague 
Schneider.  Schneider,  who  was  Professor  and 
Chief  Librarian  at  Breslau,  had,  at  the  beginning 

K  2 


68 


The  Lexicon 


[CH.  Ill 


of  the  century,  issued  a  Greek-German  Lexicon, 
which  he  subsequently  enlarged  and  improved. 
This  became  the  standard  work  in  Germany,  It 
was  a  monument  of  industry  and  learning;  but  it 
suffered  from  lack  of  methodical  arrangement.  It 
was  reserved  for  Passow,  a  pupil  of  Jacobs  and 
Hermann,  and  himself  a  Professor  at  Breslau,  to 
make  use  of  the  materials  provided  by  Schneider, 
and  to  exhibit  them  in  orderly  and  instructive 
arrangement. 

'  His  leading  principle  was  to  draw  out,  wherever 
it  was  possible,  a  kind  of  biographical  history  of 
each  word,  to  give  its  different  meanings  in  an 
almost  chronological  order,  to  cite  always  the 
earliest  author  in  which  a  word  is  found — thus 
ascertaining,  as  nearly  as  may  be,  its  original 
signification — and  then  to  trace  it  downwards, 
according  as  it  might  vary  in  sense  and  construc- 
tion, through  subsequent  writers  ^' 

In  order  to  carry  out  this  plan,  Passow  spent  his 
first  efforts  upon  Homer  and  Hesiod,  and  in  sub- 
sequent editions  added  an  examination  of  the  Ionic 
prose  of  Herodotus;  but  his  early  death  in  1833, 
at  the  age  of  forty-six,  prevented  the  completion 
of  a  wider  undertaking. 

It  was  upon  this  work  of  Passow  that  the  new 
Oxford  Lexicon  was  avowedly  based :  and  in  the 
first  three  editions  his  name  appeared  on  the  title- 

^  Quarterly  Review,  March  1835.  From  this  article,  and  another 
in  March  1845,  both,  it  is  believed,  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Fishlake, 
much  may  be  learnt  about  Greek  lexicography. 


CH.  Ill] 


Passoivs  labours 


69 


page.  But  from  the  outset  a  vast  amount  of 
additional  work  was  found  necessary.  The  Preface 
to  the  first  edition  is  now  so  little  known  that  it 
may  be  well  to  quote  from  it  the  authors'  description 
of  the  task  which  they  undertook  : 

'  We  at  first  thought  of  a  translation  of  Passow's 
work,  with  additions.  But  a  little  experience  showed 
us  that  this  would  not  be  sufficient.  Passow  indeed 
had  done  all  that  was  necessary  for  Homer  and 
Hesiod,  so  that  his  work  has  become  a  regular 
authority  in  Germany  for  the  old  Epic  Greek.  But 
he  had  done  nothing  further  completely.  For  though 
in  the  fourth  edition  he  professes  to  have  done 
for  Herodotus  the  same  as  for  Homer,  this  is  not 
quite  the  case.  He  had  done  little  more  than 
use  Schweighauser's  Lexicon — which  is  an  excellent 
book,  and  leaves  little  of  the  peculiar  phraseology 
of  Herodotus  unnoticed,  but  is  very  far  indeed  from 
being  a  complete  vocabulary  of  the  author.  One  of 
us,  accordingly,  undertook  to  read  Herodotus  care- 
fully through,  adding  what  was  lacking  to  the 
margin  of  his  Schweighauser.  The  other  did 
much  the  same  for  Thucydides.  And  between  us 
we  have  gone  through  the  Fragments  of  the  early 
Poets,  Lyric,  Elegiac,  &c.,  which  were  not  in  the 
Poetae  Minores  of  Gaisford ;  as  well  as  those  of  the 
early  Historic  and  Philosophic  writers;  and  those  of 
the  Attic,  Tragic,  and  Comic  Poets,  which  were 
dispersed  through  Athenaeus,  Stobaeus,  &c.  .  .  . 
But  besides  all  our  own  reading  and  collections, 
we  have  made  unfailing  use  of  the  best  Lexicons 
and  Indexes  of  the  great  Attic  writers — Wellauer's 
of  Aeschylus,  Ellendt's  of  Sophocles,  Beck's  of 


70 


The  Lexicon 


[CH.  Ill 


Euripides,  Caravella's  of  Aristophanes,  Ast's  of 
Plato,  Sturz's  of  Xenophon,  with  Reiske's  and 
Mitchell's  of  the  Attic  Orators.  The  reader  will 
see  by  this  that  we  have  thrown  our  chief  strength 
on  the  phraseology  of  the  Attic  writers.  We  have 
also  sedulously  consulted  Bockh's  Index  to  Pindar; 
and  for  Hippocrates,  who  ought  to  be  closely  joined 
with  Herodotus,  we  have  used  Foesius'  CEconomia, 
with  the  references  in  the  Index  of  the  Oxford 
Scapitla.  After  the  Attic  writers,  Greek  under- 
goes a  great  change ;  which  begins  to  appear 
strongly  about  the  time  of  Alexander.  Aristotle's 
language  strikes  us  at  once  as  something  quite 
different  from  that  of  his  master  Plato,  though  the 
change  of  styles  cannot  be  measured  quite  chrono- 
logically :  as,  for  instance,  Demosthenes  was  con- 
temporary with  Aristotle ;  yet  his  style  is  the  purest 
Attic.  Here,  as  in  painting,  architecture,  &c.,  there 
are  transition  periods — the  old  partly  surviving,  the 
new  just  appearing.  But  the  change  is  complete 
in  Polybius,  with  the  later  Historic  writers,  and 
Plutarch.  We  have  therefore  not  been  anxious 
to  amass  authorities  from  these  authors,  though  we 
have  endeavoured  to  collect  their  peculiar  words 
and  phrases.  For  Aristotle,  we  have  used  Sylburg's 
Indexes,  and  those  in  the  Oxford  editions  of  the 
Rhetoric  and  Ethics  ;  for  Theophrastus,  Schneider's 
Index;  for  Polybius  (of  course)  Schweighauser's 
Lexicon;  for  Plutarch,  Wittenbach's  Index.  Attic 
phraseology  revives  more  or  less  in  Lucian ;  but 
for  that  reason  most  of  his  phrases  have  earlier 
examples,  though  in  some  of  his  works  (as  the  Verae 
Historiae,  Tragopodagra,  Lexiphanes,  &c.),  many 
new  or  rare  words  occur.    We  have  taken  them 


CH.  Ill]       ArraJigeinent  of  the  work  71 


from  Geel's  Index  to  the  edition  of  Hemsterhuis 
and  Reiz.  But  in  these,  and  writers  of  a  like 
stamp,  we  have  seldom  been  careful  to  add  the 
special  reference,  being  usually  content  with  giving 
the  name  of  the  author.  Another  class  of  writers 
belongs  to  Alexandria.  We  have  not  neglected 
these.  The  reader  will  find  the  Greek  of  Theocritus 
pretty  fully  handled  ;  and  he  will  not  turn  in  vain 
to  seek  the  unusual  words  introduced  by  the  learned 
Epic  school  of  that  city,  Callimachus,  Apollonius,  &c., 
or  by  that  wholesale  coiner  Lycophron.  We  have 
also  been  careful  to  notice  such  words  as  occur  first, 
or  in  any  unusual  sense,  in  the  Alexandrian  version 
of  the  Old  Testament,  and  in  the  New  Testament. 
We  must  not  omit  to  mention,  that  in  the  first  part, 
viz.,  from  B  to  K  inclusive,  we  have  been  saved 
much  labour,  and  have  very  much  enriched  our 
Lexicon,  by  consulting  Hase  and  Dindorf's  new 
edition  of  Stephani  Thesaurus.  We  only  wish  we 
could  have  had  their  assistance  for  the  whole.' 

Such  was  the  task  undertaken  by  two  young 
men,  who,  though  at  the  outset  fairly  at  leisure, 
soon  found  that  they  were  able  to  devote  to  it 
only  those  few  hours  of  each  day  which  could 
be  spared  from  other  duties.  Liddell,  as  we  have 
seen,  became  a  College  Tutor  at  the  beginning 
of  1836,  and  Scott  won  a  Fellowship  at  Balliol 
College  in  1835,  ^^^^  after  five  years  of  residence 
there  accepted  the  College  living  of  Duloe  in 
Cornwall,  and  settled  down,  as  a  married  man,  to 
parochial  work  in  that  distant  part  of  England. 
He  did  not  give  up  his  share  in  the  labour 


72 


The  Lexicon 


[CH.  Ill 


which  they  had  jointly  undertaken ;  but  the 
separation  rendered  the  work  far  less  easy,  and 
a  heavier  portion  of  the  burden  was  necessarily 
thrown  upon  the  partner  resident  in  Oxford,  within 
reach  of  Oxford  libraries  and  the  Clarendon  Press. 

Passow  had  not  only  provided  a  solid  foundation 
for  future  workers,  but  he  had  also  indicated 
the  true  system  on  which  a  Lexicon  should  be 
constructed;  and  among  the  many  excellences 
of  the  new  Lexicon  none  was  more  remarkable 
than  its  admirable  and  instructive  arrangement. 
Instead  of  the  old  and  bewildering  fashion  of 
grouping  words,  including  compounds,  under  their 
primitive  forms  (or  forms  supposed  to  be  primitive), 
a  uniform  alphabetical  arrangement  was  adopted. 
The  uses  of  each  word  were  traced  from  its  sim- 
plest and  most  rudimentary  meaning  to  its  various 
derivative  and  metaphorical  applications ;  the  steps 
which  connected  these  different  shades  of  meaning 
were  clearly  marked ;  and  each  gradation  was  illus- 
trated as  far  as  possible  historically ,  by  apt  quotations 
from  authors  of  successive  dates  ^    For  such  a  treat- 

*  In  a  very  interesting  article  in  the  Fortnightly  Review  of  January 
1899,  Professor  Max  Miiller  writes  : 

'  The  value  of  Liddell's  Greek  Dictionary  consists  in  the  consummate 
sobriety  of  its  author.  There  is  never  too  much,  and  yet  there  is 
hardly  ever  any  essential  meaning  or  any  classical  passage  left  out. 
The  various  meanings  assigned  to  each  word  seem  to  spring  up  in 
regular  succession,  and  we  seldom  find  a  Hysteron  Proteron  even 
from  a  merely  chronological  point  of  view.  Yet  chronology  is  not  the 
only  measure  by  which  the  stages  or  the  growth  of  a  word  should  be 
determined,  and  the  Dean's  good  sense  has  generally  kept  him  on 
the  via  fnedia  between  a  purely  chronological  and  purely  logical 
arrangement  of  meanings.' 


CH.  Ill]  Qualifications  needed for  the  work  73 


ment  of  the  language  there  were  requisite  not  only 
the  guidance  of  a  methodical  and  logical  mind,  and 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  principal  Greek  writers, 
but  also  a  perfect  mastery  of  the  English  tongue,  so 
as  to  select  with  readiness  the  appropriate  renderings, 
and  to  distinguish  with  nicety  between  the  various 
so-called  synonyms.  The  illustrations  chosen  should 
be  sufficient,  but  not  too  numerous ;  and  so  chosen 
as  to  display  the  delicate  transitions  of  signification. 
To  achieve  this  successfully,  scholarship  in  the 
fullest  sense  of  the  word  was  absolutely  necessary, 
together  with  a  keen  appreciation  of  idioms,  of  the 
force  of  particles,  and  of  those  subtle  distinctions 
of  phraseology  with  which  Greek  pre-eminently 
abounds.  To  these  high  qualifications  some 
measure  of  philological  and  antiquarian  knowledge 
must  be  added ;  and  to  accomplish  the  task,  a  dogged 
perseverance,  undaunted  by  delays  and  weariness. 
Liddell,  in  one  of  his  letters,  expresses  a  longing  for 
the  yakK^vTfip'ia  of  the  grammarian  Didymus,  untired 
by  the  drudgery  of  his  monotonous  toil. 

The  progress  of  the  Lexicon  is  not  often  mentioned 
in  Liddell's  correspondence;  but  occasional  references 
are  found.  He  describes  how  Scott  and  he  used  to 
meet  in  his  rooms  at  the  south-west  corner  of  the 
Great  Quadrangle  (Staircase  iii.  4)  and  work  away 
from  seven  till  eleven  each  night,  one  holding  the 
pen,  the  other  searching  for  authorities  in  books 
and  indexes  which  lay  open  on  the  table.  On  one 
of  these  nights,  in  November  1838,  Scott  was  late 
in  arriving,  and  excused  himself  on  the  plea  that  he 

L 


74 


The  Lexicon 


[CH.  Ill 


had  been  engaged  in  the  Fellowship  election  at 
Balliol,  and  he  added  in  a  tone  of  satisfaction,  '  We 
have  elected  an  undergraduate,  by  name  Jowett.' 
On  another  occasion  Liddell  writes  : 

'  The  Lexicon  has  been  in  abeyance  during  Col- 
lections, otherwise  it  has  been  going  on  reasonably 
well ;  but  I  rather  shudder  at  the  length  of  time  it 
imposes  on  us,  more,  certainly,  than  I  had  calculated 
on.  However,  if  we  get  through  it,  it  will  be 
satisfactory  to  think  (as  I  believe  we  shall  have 
good  right  to  think)  that  we  shall  have  performed 
a  very  useful  and  much  wanted  work.  But  if  any 
one  would  appear  who  would  undertake  it,  being 
also  competent  thereto,  I  would  not  be  loth  to 
resign  my  share,  and  make  him  a  present  of  all 
I  have  done  hitherto.' 

He  resolutely  gave  up  to  the  work  all  his  Long 
Vacations,  with  the  exception  of  that  which  followed 
his  sister's  death,  and  postponed  his  first  visit  to 
Switzerland  till  after  the  publication  of  the  book  in 
1843.  As  the  printing  advanced,  the  tie  was  closer; 
every  page  had  to  be  carefully  looked  through  and 
every  reference  verified.  In  spite  of  the  devoted 
help  of  George  Marshall,  generously  acknowledged 
in  the  Preface,  the  labour  was  very  severe.  In 
July  1842  he  writes  to  Scott: 

'You  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  I  have  all  but 
finished  FT,  that  two-legged  monster,  who  must  in 

ancient  times  have  worn  his  legs  a-straddle, 

else  he  could  never  have  strode  over  so  enormous 


CH.  Ill]  The  monster  FT  75 

a  space  as  he  has  occupied  and  will  occupy  in 
Lexicons.' 

He  then  draws  a  picture  of  the  creature  in  human 
form,  and  adds : 


'  Behold  the  monster,  as  he  has  been  mocking 
my  waking  and  sleeping  visions  for  the  last  many 
months.' 


Later  in  the  same  Long  Vacation  he  describes  in 
a  letter  to  his  sister  his  mode  of  life : 

'  I  get  up  at  5  every  morning,  work  hard  till 
about  6.30  or  7,  have  a  cup  of  coffee  and  bit  of 
bread,  work  hard  till  about  ii,  have  breakfast, 
work  hard  till  2,  go  out  with  Vaughan  or  alone, 
walking  or  skiffing,  dine  at  5,  work  a  little  at  night, 
and  have  tea  (if  any)  with  Vaughan,  and  go  to  bed 
at  9.30.  I  have  got  through  a  good  deal  of  work,  and 
hope  that,  as  far  as  the  Lexicon  goes,  I  have  broken 
the  neck  of  it.  We  are  going  merrily  along,  and 
the  printers,  as  well  as  myself,  seem  not  a  little 
glad  that  we  are  nearer  the  end  than  the  beginning.' 

So  the  work  gradually  grew  to  its  completion  ; 
and  by  the  side  of  the  larger  Lexicon  was  being 

L  2 


76 


The  Lexicon 


[CH.  Ill 


prepared  an  abridgement  for  the  use  of  schools, 
which  the  Press  for  convenience  sake  desired  to 
print  at  the  same  time.  This  smaller  volume  was 
entrusted  wholly  to  the  care  of  George  Marshall, 
who  also  took  a  heavy  share  of  the  laborious  task 
of  verifying  all  passages  quoted  in  the  larger  book. 
Of  the  abridgement  it  is  enough  to  quote  the 
emphatic  testimony  of  the  Quarterly  Review  that 
it  is  '  by  much  the  best  manual  for  beginners  that 
has  ever  come  from  the  press.'  In  the  summer 
of  1843  the  Lexicon  was  published. 

'  We  send  it  forth,'  wrote  the  authors  in  the 
Preface,  '  in  the  hope  that  it  may  in  some  wise 
foster  and  keep  alive  the  accurate  study  of  the 
Greek  tongue ;  that  tongue  which  has  been  held 
one  of  the  best  instruments  for  training  the  young 
mind  ;  that  tongue  which,  as  the  organ  of  Poetry 
and  Oratory,  is  full  of  living  force  and  fire,  abound- 
ing in  grace  and  sweetness,  rich  to  overflowing ; 
while  for  the  uses  of  Philosophy  it  is  a  very  model 
of  clearness  and  precision ;  that  tongue  in  which 
some  of  the  noblest  works  of  man's  genius  lie 
enshrined, — works  which  may  be  seen  reflected 
faintly  in  imitations  and  translations,  but  of  which 
none  can  know  the  perfect  beauty,  but  he  who  can 
read  the  words  themselves,  as  well  as  their  inter- 
pretation.' 

'  We  now  dismiss  our  book,'  they  add  at  the 
close  of  the  Preface,  '  with  feelings  of  thankfulness 
that  we  have  had  health  and  strength  to  bring 
it  to  a  close.  We  know  well  how  far  it  is  from 
what  it  might  be,  from  what  we  ourselves  could 
imagine  it  to  be.     But  we  hope  that,  by  pains 


CH.  Ill]         Extracts  from  Preface 


11 


and  accuracy,  we  have  at  least  laid  a  good 
foundation  ;  and  we  shall  be  ready  to  profit  by 
any  criticisms  that  may  be  made  upon  it,  whether 
public  or  private.  For  the  present  we  shall  be 
content  if  it  shall  in  any  sort  serve  that  end  of 
which  we  spoke  in  the  outset ;  if,  that  is,  it  shall 
tend  to  cherish  or  improve  the  accurate  study 
of  the  classical  writers  of  Greece.  We  cannot 
look  for  much  more.  For  the  writer  of  Dic- 
tionaries, says  Johnson  in  his  Preface,  has  been 
"  considered  not  the  pupil,  but  the  slave  of  science, 
the  pioneer  of  literature,  doomed  only  to  remove 
rubbish,  and  clear  obstructions  from  the  path 
through  which  learning  and  genius  press  forward 
to  conquest  and  glory,  without  bestowing  a  smile 
on  the  humble  drudge  that  facilitates  their  pro- 
gress." His  labours  have  been  compared  to  "those 
of  the  anvil  and  the  mine  "  ;  or  even  worse, — 

Condendaque  Lexica  mandat 
Damnatis,  poenam  pro  poenis  omnibus  unam. 

'  But  our  own  great  English  Lexicographer, 
who  with  his  gloomy  mind  delighted  to  heap 
reproaches  upon  himself,  has  himself  also  re- 
moved much  of  that  reproach  by  the  noble  work 
which  will  carry  his  name  wherever  the  English 
tongue  is  spoken.  And  we  at  least  are  well 
pleased  to  think  that,  if  our  book  prove  useful, 
it  has  been  our  lot  to  follow,  however  humbly, 
in  the  same  career  of  usefulness  that  he  chose 
for  his  own.' 

The  Lexicon  was  received  with  the  utmost  favour, 
and  the  demand  for  it  exceeded  the  authors'  expec- 
tation.   In  1845  Liddell  reports  that: 


78 


The  Lexicon 


[CH  III. 


'  Dindorf,  a  great  German  scholar,  has  written 
a  most  complimentary  letter  to  the  chief  printer, 
saying  that  he  now  relinquishes  all  intentions  of 
undertaking  a  Greek-English  Lexicon  which  he  had 
projected.' 

But  though  so  warmly  and  deservedly  welcomed, 
the  work  needed  constant  attention  and  unremitting 
care  in  supervision,  so  that  each  successive  edition 
might  mark  a  clear  advance  on  the  previous  one. 
Within  nine  months  of  the  publication  a  second 
edition  was  called  for.  This  was  issued  in  1845, 
a  third  in  1849;  the  fourth  edition,  in  which  the 
name  of  Passow  was  omitted  from  the  title-page, 
was  published  in  1855  ;  the  two  next  editions  were 
in  186 1  and  1869.  The  seventh,  embodying  perhaps 
the  most  important  improvements  of  any,  came 
in  January  1883;  and  in  1897,  ten  years  after  Scott's 
death,  and  only  a  few  months  before  Liddell  himself 
was  called  to  his  rest,  the  eighth  edition  was  issued, 
of  the  same  bulk,  and  from  the  same  plates,  as  the 
previous  edition,  but  containing  many  corrections, 
and  four  pages  of  addenda  and  corrigenda  ^.  Many 

^  By  the  courtesy  of  the  Delegates  of  the  Clarendon  Press,  the 
following  information  has  been  furnished  as  to  the  editions  of  the  book. 

The  first  edition  was  put  to  the  press  in  March  1841,  and  was 
published  (3,000  copies)  in  1843  at  42J. 

The  second  edition  (6,000  copies)  in  1845,  at  the  same  price. 

The  third  edition  (6,000  copies)  in  1849,  at  the  same  price. 

The  fourth  edition  (8,000  copies)  in  1855,  at  30J. 

The  fifth  edition  (10,000  copies)  in  1861,  at  31J.  dd. 

The  sixth  edition  (15,000  copies)  in  1869,  at  365'.  This  was  at  the 
time  intended  to  be  the  final  revision,  and  the  number  then  printed 
was  calculated  to  last  eleven  years. 

The  seventh  edition  was  revised  by  Liddell  alone,  and  came  out 


CH.  Ill]  The  several  editions 


79 


words  were  re-written,  and  many  new  words  inserted 
in  the  body  of  the  work.  And  though  he  was  then 
in  his  87th  year,  his  handwriting  was  as  clear  as 
in  his  younger  days,  and  he  took  the  same  care  with 
the  accentuation. 

Throughout  this  long  period  of  fifty-four  years 
the  labour  of  improving  the  Lexicon  was  never 
intermitted.  Author  after  author  was  read  through, 
and  careful  references  were  made  to  every  note- 
worthy use  of  word  or  phrase ;  the  help  of  Indexes 
thus  gradually  giving  way  to  the  actual  perusal  of 
the  whole  text  of  the  writers  themselves.  Even 
Passow's  laborious  treatment  of  Homer  was  found 
to  be  quite  unsatisfactory. 

'I  regret,'  wrote  Liddell  in  1853,  'to  find  how 
much  better  the  Lexicon  might  be !  I  have  been 
going  over  the  Homeric  part,  and  find,  alas !  manj^ 
many  errors  both  of  sense  and  taste.  I  wish  we 
had  at  once  seen  that  the  best  way  was  only  to  use 
Passow  as  a  convenience,  and  that  all  real  work  should 
have  been  done  by  ourselves.  It  would  have  been 
less  labour  in  the  end.' 

And  not  only  the  Greek  authors  themselves,  but 
all  the  chief  modern  works  dealing  with  the  Greek 
language  had  to  be  carefully  examined.    The  new 

in  1883,  and  electrotype  plates  were  then  taken.  From  these  plates 
additional  copies  were  struck  off  in  1885,  1886,  and  1890. 

The  eighth  edition  was  ordered  in  1895  and  appeared  in  1897. 
The  corrections  are  such  only  as  could  be  introduced  into  the  existing 
electrotype  plates. 

Sir  Henry  Acland  calculates  that  there  are  more  than  20  million 
letters,  stops,  and  accents  in  the  volume  ;  and  this  is  confirmed  by  the 
Controller  of  the  Press. 


So 


The  Lexicon 


[CH.  Ill 


Paris  edition  of  Stephani  Thesaurus  was,  as  it  came 
out,  in  constant  use.  Much  help  was  afforded  by 
Rost  and  Palm's  Greek-German  Lexicon,  and  Dr. 
Veitch's  Greek  Verbs,  Irregular  and  Defective.  The 
etymological  portion  of  the  work  was  entirely  re- 
cast, with  the  help  particularly  of  the  writings  of 
Georg  Curtius ;  and  in  the  later  editions,  as  the 
book  was  now  widely  circulated  in  America,  Pro- 
fessors Drisler  of  New  York,  Goodwin  of  Cambridge, 
Massachusetts,  and  Gildersleeve  of  Baltimore,  con- 
tributed very  valuable  assistance  throughout  the 
volume :  Professor  Drisler's  name  appearing  on  the 
title-page  of  the  American  edition 

So  the  life's  work,  or  bye-work,  went  on ;  an 
engrossing  occupation  for  spare  moments  in  the 
busy  career  at  Westminster  and  Oxford,  and  a  re- 
creation in  the  retirement  of  Ascot. 

*  I  remember  one  day,'  writes  the  Dean  of  Dur- 
ham, '  having  to  call  on  Liddell  on  College  business, 
and  was  told  that  he  was  in  the  Library.  Thither 
I  went  to  seek  him,  and  found  him  seated  in  one  of 
the  small  rooms  to  the  south.  As  I  came  in,  he 
looked  up,  with  that  kind  look  of  his,  and  said, 
"  You  have  found  me  at  the  very  end  of  a  life's 

*  '  Some  of  the  old  objectionable  etymologies,'  writes  Professor  Max 
Miiller,  '  have  now  been  removed  and  replaced  by  others  which  are 
supported  by  Curtius  in  his  Grundziige  der  Griechischen  Etymologie. 
But  such  has  been  the  progress  of  Comparative  Philology  since  the 
days  of  Curtius,  such,  more  particularly,  the  improvement  in  the  more 
delicate  handling  of  phonetic  rules,  that  a  careful  revision  by  a  young 
scholar  such  as  I  was  in  the  fifties  and  sixties  would  be  very  useful 
even  now,  and  would  be  highly  appreciated  by  classical  scholars,  who 
rightly  recognize  in  every  true  etymology  the  pre-historic  development 
of  Greek  words  and  Greek  ideas.'    {Fortnightly  Review,  Jan.  1899.) 


CH.  Ill] 


Liddell  and  Mr.  Riiskm 


8i 


task ;  for  I  am  writing  the  last  sheet  of  the  last 
edition  of  the  Lexicon  which  I  shall  undertake. 
I  shall  henceforth  leave  it  to  others  to  correct,  or 
future  editions  may  come  out  as  I  have  left  this  one." 
I  said,  he  would  miss  it  very  much,  such  an  old 
friend  ;  and  after  my  bit  of  business,  I  left  him. 
Ill  the  following  October  Term,  I  had  again  to 
trouble  him  ;  and  hearing  again  that  he  was  in  the 
Library,  I  found  him  busy  on  one  of  the  sheets  of 
the  lately  issued  edition,  preparing  already  for  the 
next.  I  reminded  him  of  what  he  had  said,  and 
with  a  laugh  he  confessed  that  he  could  not  keep 
his  hands  off  it ;  that  so  many  people  had  sent  him 
corrections  and  suggestions  for  the  new  edition,  that 
he  felt  he  could  not  lay  down  the  task.  And  so  he 
continued  working  steadily  at  it,  I  believe,  down  to 
the  very  end.' 

Sometimes  Liddell's  older  friends,  who  had  known 
the  range  of  his  artistic  tastes,  and  remembered  the 
rare  promise  of  his  younger  days,  were  inclined  to 
regret  that  he  had  devoted  so  much  of  his  life  to  the 
drudgery  of  Lexicography.  This  regret  is  implied 
in  Mr.  Ruskin's  words  already  quoted,  when  he 
speaks  of '  the  prosaic  and  practical  element  in  him 
having  prevailed  over  the  sensitive  one,'  and  describes 
him  as  'a  man  sorrowfully  under  the  dominion  of  the 
Greek  dvdyKrj.'  When  Liddell  read  those  words,  in 
1886,  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Ruskin  as  follows  : 

'  Your  Christ  Church  Choir  I  have  read  with 
much  interest.  It  calls  back  old  times  and  revives 
the  memory  of  many  things.  ...  As  for  myself,  I  have 
to  thank  you  for  your  kindly  expressions.  Kindly 

M 


82 


The  Lexicon 


[CH.  m 


I  call  them,  though  I  am  sensible  that,  under  the 
kindliness,  lies  severe  censure.  But  I  think  this 
censure  is  based  upon  an  over-estimate  of  my 
umquhile  capacities.  To  alter  your  phrase,  I  conceive 
you  to  say  that  by  bowing  my  neck  under  some  kind 
of  dvdyKTf],  I  have  become  a  Philistine  instead  of 
becoming,  as  was  possible,  a  true  Israelite.  Well, 
I  hope  I  am  not  an  absolute  Philistine.  But  I  am 
sure  that  I  never  could,  with  any  success,  have 
attempted  a  way 

— qua  me  quoque  possim 
Tollere  humo,  victorque  virum  volitare  per  ora. 

This,  I  suppose,  is  what  you  mean. 

'  None  of  us,  in  looking  back,  but  must  say  with 
old  Samuel  Johnson,  "  I  have  lived  a  life  of  which 
I  do  not  like  the  review."  But  this  is  different 
from  imagining  that  one  might  have  done  great 
things  instead  of  little.    Enough  of  myself.' 

To  this  Mr.  Ruskin  replied : 

'  I  am  very  grateful  for  your  letter.  What 
was  held  back  in  my  reference  to  you  was  chiefly 
my  own  mortified  vanity,  at  your  praising  other 
people's  lectures,  and  never  mine  !  and  sorrow  that 
you  kept  dictionary  making,  instead  of  drawing  trees 
at  Madeira  in  colour. 

'  I  hope  what  further  words  may  come,  in  after 
times,  as  I  go  on,  will  not  pain  you  ;  though  I  was 
very  furious  about  the  iron  railing  through  Christ 
Church  meadow. 

'  Ever  your  affectionate  pupil, 

'John  Ruskin.' 

The  publication  of  the  Lexicon  gave  a  respite 
from  incessant  occupation  ;  and  in  the  Long  Vacation 


CH.  Ill]       First  Visit  to  Switzerland  83 


of  1843  Liddell  paid  his  first  visit  to  Switzerland. 
His  impressions  of  Swiss  scenery  are  recorded  in 
two  letters.  To  his  sister  Charlotte  he  writes  from 
Thun  : 

'  Here  I  am,  rather  unexpectedly,  in  the  midst 
of  the  most  beautiful  scenery  that  I  ever  saw,  more 
beautiful  than  I  ever  conceived.  To-day  it  is 
slightly  raining,  and  the  high  Alps  are  wrapt  in 
clouds.  But  yesterday  morning  was  bright  and 
clear,  and  the  chain  of  the  Bernese  Alps  stood  sharp 
against  the  sky — the  Jungfrau,  Wetterhorn,  and 
all  the  rest  dazzling  one  with  their  everlasting 
snow.  We  went  up  the  lake  in  a  steamer  to  Inter- 
laken  and  got  up  to  a  height  which  commands  the 
lake  of  Brienz,  where  we  were  some  twelve  English 
miles  nearer  to  the  high  mountains.  But  it  is  not 
near  so  beautiful  a  scene  as  from  my  bedroom 
window  at  this  place  :  and  verily  I  bless  God  for 
having  made  so  fair  a  scene.  ...  I  long  to  see  an 
Alpine  pass  and  glacier.  But  the  days  are  gone 
when  I  should  have  eagerly  climbed  every  height, 
and  thought  each  day  wasted  in  which  I  had  not 
walked  twenty  or  thirty  miles.  I  feel  that  one 
ought  to  come  to  Switzerland  at  a  much  earlier 
time  of  life  than  I  have  done,  at  a  time  when  one 
is  more  alive  to  the  wondrous  scenes  of  Nature,  the 
rock,  the  mountain,  and  the  flood,  when  one's  health 
and  body  are  more  fresh  and  vigorous,  and  one  is  less 
alive  to  petty  annoyances.  However,  I  will  not 
complain,  and  I  am  glad  to  find  that,  though  my 
hair  is  falling  off  and  going  grey,  I  yet  feel  much 
of  youthful  ardour  and  freshness  return  when  I 
breathe  this  fresh  and  sparkling  air,  and  look  on 

M  2 


84 


The  Lexicon 


[CH.  Ill 


these  scenes  which  are  all  Nature's  own,  and  bid 
defiance  to  man's  art  to  alter  them.' 

To  Scott  he  wrote  later  : 

'  Tell  Mrs.  Scott  that  I  cannot  less  well  appreciate 
the  scenery  of  Cumberland  and  Westmoreland  from 
having  been  in  Switzerland,  Indeed  I  am  pleased 
to  find  that  really  beautiful  scenery  interests  one 
the  more,  the  more  one  sees.  It  is  not  the  actual 
scale,  but  the  relative  proportions  and  colour,  and 
a  thousand  nameless  things,  that  make  beautiful 
scenery.  If  she  challenges  me  to  say  that  Cumber- 
land is  as  sublime  as  Switzerland — there  I  must 
demur.  To  be  in  the  heart  of  the  Bernese  Alps 
(much  finer  they,  me  judice,  than  Mont  Blanc),  to 
see  and  hear  avalanches  "  momently  falling,"  to 
look  on  real  peaks,  thousands  of  feet  above  you, 
when  you  are  yourself  at  twice  the  elevation  of  any 
Cumberland  hill,  shining  in  the  smoothest,  brightest, 
purest  covering  of  eternal  snow — in  relief  against 
a  dark-blue  sky,  or  at  sunset  passing  through  a 
hundred  hues,  from  pure  white  through  the  grada- 
tions of  yellow,  orange,  roseate  red  (a  quite 
indescribable  colour — so  delicate,  so  rich),  and  then 
again  fading  into  silver  white,  heightened  by  the 
moonbeams  :  this,  with  all  their  beauties  of  form 
which  the  pencil  cannot  give,  far  less  words,  renders 
the  Bernese  Alps  from  the  Faulhorn  the  sublimest 
scene  I  ever  hope  to  see.' 

It  is  strange  that,  possessing  so  keen  a  sense  for 
the  beauties  of  Nature,  and  so  deep  a  love  for 
History  and   Art,  Liddell  very   rarely  travelled 


CH.  Ill]  Swiss  Scenery  85 


abroad.  After  his  marriage,  he  seldom  left  England, 
except  under  Doctor's  orders.  He  visited  Athens 
only  once,  when  he  was  cruising  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean for  his  health  ;  and,  more  strange  still,  he 
never  visited  Rome,  though  his  Roman  History 
seems  to  show  close  familiarity  with  its  topography. 


CHAPTER  IV 


HEADMASTERSHIP  OF  WESTMINSTER,   1 846-55 

In  entering  upon  his  work  at  Westminster  in 
September  1846,  Liddell  began  a  very  important 
period  of  his  Hfe,  comprising  many  successes  indeed, 
but  many  grave  cares  and  anxieties. 

He  brought  his  bride  to  their  new  home  in 
the  ancient  low-roomed  house  on  the  east  side  of 
Dean's  Yard,  adjoining  the  archway  which  leads  into 
Little  Dean's  Yard.  This  house  had  originally 
formed  part  of  the  Prior's  lodgings,  but  had  for 
long  been  assigned  to  the  Headmaster,  and  its  walls 
were  hung  with  the  portraits  of  former  occupants, 
including  the  famous  antiquary  Camden,  who  had 
been  Headmaster  in  Elizabeth's  reign,  1593-99. 
Since  that  distant  time,  no  one  had  been  chosen  for 
the  Headmastership  who  had  not  been  educated  at 
the  school ;  and  the  selection  of  a  non-Westminster 
was  an  innovation  which,  though  admitted  to  be 
necessary,  was  a  severe  shock  to  the  venerable 
traditions  of  the  place.  All  the  chief  school  build- 
ings, as  well  as  the  Headmaster's  house,  were  part 


School  Buildings  87 


of  the  ancient  Abbey,  lying  close  against  it  on  its 
southern  side.  The  schoolroom  was  formed  out  of 
a  portion  of  the  Monks'  dormitory ;  the  Abbot's 
refectory  was  the  dining-hall  of  the  forty  Queen's 
Scholars.  They  had  in  olden  times  been  lodged  in 
the  Abbey  granary,  but  had  been  transferred  in 
1732  to  a  new  dormitory,  begun  while  Atterbury 
was  Dean,  from  a  design  furnished  by  the  Earl  of 
Burlington  based  upon  an  earlier  design  of  Wren's, 
which  stretched  along  the  western  side  of  the 
Infirmary  garden.  The  cloister  garth  was  the  boys' 
fighting  green ;  the  Abbey  was  their  chapel.  The 
school  was  without  property  of  its  own,  and  was 
entirely  dependent  on  the  Dean  and  Chapter,  who 
were  not  accustomed  to  be  over-generous,  or  to 
spend  much  anxious  thought  upon  the  special 
requirements  of  the  boys.  The  neighbourhood  was 
bad ;  and,  to  reach  the  chief  playground  in  Vincent 
Square — an  open  space  of  about  ten  acres — many 
low  streets  had  to  be  traversed.  The  river  indeed 
provided  a  place  for  recreation  not  yet  rendered 
perilous  by  crowded  steamboat  traffic ;  but  the 
Thames  then  received  the  whole  drainage  of  London, 
and  its  tidal  waters  were  by  no  means  without  their 
drawbacks. 

Liddell  was  encouraged  by  a  cordial  welcome  from 
all  persons  connected  with  the  school,  and  his  own 
reputation  augured  well  for  the  success  of  his  rule. 
Buckland,  but  lately  made  Dean,  was,  as  we  have 
seen,  most  ready  to  back  him  to  the  utmost  in  all 
that  he  attempted,  and  was  himself  profoundly 


88     Headmastership  of  Westminster    [ch.  iv 


dissatisfied  with  the  existing  state  of  the  school. 
Arthur  Stanley  describes  a  conversation  with 
Buckland  in  the  previous  January,  as  they  were 
travelling  down  to  Oxford  together : 

'  He  talked  a  great  deal  and  very  sensibly  about 
the  reform  of  Westminster  School,  the  abuses  of 
which  he  described  at  great  length,  particularly  in 
the  physical  department — counterpanes  in  the  dormi- 
tory not  washed  for  eleven  years,  school  not  cleaned 
since  Queen  Elizabeth  died,  tyranny  and  cruelty 
among  the  boys,  three  of  whom  he  had  been  instru- 
mental in  expelling.  All  this  he  meant  thoroughly 
to  look  into,  and  thought  of  writing  a  pamphlet  on 
the  subject,  and  made  me  give  him  a  detailed 
account  of  great  parts  of  the  system  at  Rugby.' 

In  Mrs.  Gordon's  Life  of  Buckland,  the  College  is 
thus  described : 

'  Buckland  found  that  Dean  Atterbury's  dormitory, 
after  over  a  hundred  years'  use  as  bedroom,  sitting- 
room,  and  playroom,  was  in  a  most  dismal  condition, 
with  the  walls  blackened  by  smoke,  and  here  and 
there  hung  with  moth-eaten  green  baize  curtains ; 
the  tables  and  lockers  seamed  and  scarred  in  all 
directions  ;  and  the  floor  — .  Taking  his  children  to 
see  the  place,  their  father  asked,  "  Well,  children, 
what 's  this  floor  like  "  The  answer  was  prompt, 
"  The  fossil  ripple-marks  in  our  hall  at  home." 
[A  fossil  slab  of  ripple-marks  now  in  the  Oxford 
Museum.]  The  floor  was  only  cleaned  once  a  year, 
so  that  its  rough  surface  was  not  to  be  wondered  at, 
as  the  boys  did  a  great  deal  of  cooking  there  amongst 
their  other  diversions.' 


CH.  IV] 


Changes  on  the  Staff 


89 


Many  of  the  Chapter  too,  if  not  all,  shared  the 
Dean's  sympathy  with  reforms,  and  Liddell  speaks 
particularly  of  the  sub-Dean,  Lord  John  Thynne  : 

'Who  is  a  rm/ gentleman  (as  they  say  in  Ireland), 
a  most  agreeable,  kind,  good  man,  who  will  do  all 
that  lies  in  his  power  to  promote  the  good  of  the 
school  and  my  wishes.' 

The  great  body  of  Old  Westminsters  also  desired 
to  encourage  the  new  Headmaster;  and  the  entries 
of  new  boys  were  eminently  satisfactory.  But  the 
task  before  him  was  not  an  easy  one. 

'  I  shall  have  to  begin,'  he  writes,  *  with  some 
very  unpleasant  business.  I  shall  have  to  turn  off 
people  who  consider  themselves  excellent  servants 
of  the  College.  I  shall  have  to  make  myself  many 
enemies.  But  nothing  can  be  done  without  this. 
I  shall  have  the  concurrence  and  support  of  all 
Westminsters  whose  opinions  are  worth  having. 
I  shall  be  warmly  seconded  by  Buckland  and  Weare, 
and  by  all  the  electors,  so  I  shall,  in  reliance  on  all 
this  favour,  boldly  throw  down  the  gauntlet,  and 
make  a  clean  sweep.' 

The  existing  ushers  gave  place  to  new  men  of 
Liddell's  own  choice,  all  of  whom  were  admirably 
fitted  for  their  posts  ;  the  Rev.  Stephen  J.  Rigaud, 
a  double  First  Class  man  and  Fellow  of  Exeter 
College,  the  Rev.  James  Marshall,  of  Christ  Church, 
and  the  Rev.  B.  F.  James,  of  Exeter  College. 
Rigaud  five  years  later  became  Headmaster  of 
Ipswich  School,  and  afterwards  Bishop  of  Antigua. 
Mr.  James  spent  the  whole  of  his  working  life  at 

N 


90     Headmastership  of  Westminster    [ch.  iv 


the  school,  and  died  soon  after  his  retirement. 
Mr.  Marshall  remained  at  his  post  for  nearly  thirty- 
years,  and  still  possesses,  in  the  dutiful  affection  of 
many  generations  of  Westminster  men,  their  grateful 
appreciation  of  a  very  noble  ideal  of  faithful  service 
and  pure  and  lofty  aims.  With  such  assistants 
many  changes,  which  would  otherwise  have  been 
difficult,  were  made  comparatively  easy.  Stricter 
discipline  and  more  industry  were  enforced ;  the 
work  of  the  Forms  was  re-cast ;  proper  provision  was 
made  for  the  teaching  of  French  and  Mathematics, 
and  Wordsworth's  Greek  Grammar  and  Edward  VI's 
Latin  Grammar  took  the  place  of  the  antiquated 
Westminster  manuals. 

The  Under-master,  the  Rev.  Thomas  W.  Weare, 
cordially  welcomed  all  improvements.  He  had  been, 
as  has  been  said,  a  fellow-student  of  Liddell's  at 
Christ  Church,  and  his  lengthened  experience  of 
Westminster,  as  boy  and  master,  gave  a  special 
value  to  his  advice  and  assistance.  To  him  belonged 
by  custom  the  entire  management  of  the  College ; 
and  it  was  his  wish  to  co-operate  with  his  new  chief  in 
introducing  such  changes  as  would  adapt  the  College 
life  to  modern  requirements  without  impairing  its 
ancient  autonomy.  Two  great  blows  had  recently 
been  aimed  at  its  traditions  by  Samuel  Wilberforce, 
during  his  short  reign  as  Dean,  and  both  had  been 
parried.  H  e  had  proposed  that  a  master  should  reside 
actually  in  the  College  building,  so  as  to  live  among 
the  Queen's  Scholars,  and  to  exercise  a  constant 
check  upon  their  independence.    Such  an  intruder 


CH.  IV]      Improvements  to  Dormitory  91 


would  have  found  himself  stirrinor  a  hornets'  nest. 
Wilberforce  had  also  made  a  determined  effort  to 
abolish  the  Latin  Play ;  but  this  had  been  met  by 
a  unanimous  protest  from  the  whole  body  of  Old 
Westminsters,  addressed  to  Dean  Buckland  soon 
after  his  appointment.  Reforms  such  as  these, 
dictated  by  a  spirit  unfamiliar  with  the  ^^0?  of 
a  Public  School,  would  have  no  place  in  the  plans 
of  the  new  Headmaster  and  his  colleague  the  Under- 
master.  But  they  heartily  supported  the  Dean  and 
Chapter  in  their  proposal,  already  made  in  June 
1846,  to  carry  out  certain  structural  alterations  in 
the  College  building.  Below  the  great  Dormitory, 
the  only  home  of  the  Queen's  Scholars  by  day  and 
night,  there  was  a  spacious  cloister,  inaccessible  to 
the  boys,  but  open  to  the  College  garden,  and  used 
by  members  of  the  Chapter  and  their  families  as 
a  sheltered  walk,  or  a  serviceable  tea-room  at  garden 
parties.  This  area  it  was  now  proposed  to  enclose, 
and  to  form  within  it  large  rooms  which  would  afford 
proper  accommodation  as  day  quarters  for  the 
Queen's  Scholars.  The  Dean  and  Chapter  were 
not  willing  to  advance  the  necessary  funds  for  this 
improvement,  but  they  issued  an  appeal  to  Old 
Westminsters  and  others ;  and  within  a  short  time 
the  new  rooms  were  constructed,  and  a  Sanatorium 
was  also  built  at  the  south  end  of  the  College,  con- 
taining adequate  provision  for  sickness,  and  a  home 
for  a  resident  Matron,  who  was  to  look  after  the  boys' 
linen,  and  tend  them  when  on  the  sick  list.  This  was 
a  vast  improvement.    Hideous  indeed  was  the  Sana- 

N  2 


92  Headmaster  ship  of  Westminster    [ch.  iv 


torium,  and  hideous  and  gloomy  beyond  words  were 
the  new  apartments  of  the  College.  Buckland  had 
no  aesthetic  sensibilities,  and  was  fond  of  corrugated 
iron  ;  and  it  was  thought  fair  that  if  the  boys  in- 
habited the  cloister,  they  should  at  least  be  deprived 
of  the  privilege  of  a  sight  of  the  green  grass  and 
stately  plane-trees  of  the  garden.  The  windows 
of  the  new  rooms  were  accordingly  placed  high  up, 
and  were  glazed  with  an  opaque  substance  which 
excluded  even  the  sky.  They  were  prison  cham- 
bers ;  but  the  boys  became  accustomed  to  them, 
and  they  led  at  once  to  the  disuse  of  the  Dormitory 
as  a  day  room.  Liddell's  own  sense  of  what  was 
beautiful  or  decorous  must  have  caused  him  many 
a  sigh  over  such  ugly  and  mean  quarters.  In  the 
College  Hall,  too,  the  ancient  open  fire  in  the  centre 
of  the  floor,  its  smoke  escaping  through  the  louvre 
in  the  roof,  gave  place  to  a  square  iron  erection  of 
a  singularly  inartistic  character,  which  however  had 
one  decided  merit,  in  that  it  provided  two  clear 
and  bright  fires  admirably  adapted  for  the  making 
of  toast.  Many  were  the  laments  of  the  boys  over 
the  abolition  of  the  old  fire-place :  but  when  about 
forty  years  later  this  iron  structure  was  in  its  turn 
replaced  by  a  more  worthy  successor,  it  had  so  far 
established  itself  in  the  affections  of  the  boys  that 
its  loss  was  the  theme  of  plaintive  epigrams  at  the 
Election  dinner.  '  Ah,'  said  Liddell  to  his  neigh- 
bour as  he  sat  there  as  Elector,  '  they  lament  its 
loss  now :  but  you  should  have  heard  how  they 
abused  me  when  it  was  first  put  up ! ' 


CH.  IV]  Life  in  the  College 


93 


The  great  schoolroom,  also,  many  years  after 
worthily  restored,  was  now  stripped  of  its  ancient 
benches,  picturesque  in  their  decay,  and  hewn  and 
hacked  by  the  knives  of  many  generations,  and  in 
their  place  was  fitted  spick  and  span  modern  oak 
furniture  with  iron  supports,  supplied  at  small  cost 
from  the  neighbouring  depot  of  the  National  Society. 
It  was  very  ugly,  but  much  more  convenient  for 
Form-work. 

The  life  of  the  boys  within  the  walls  of  College 
had  been  from  time  immemorial  very  independent. 
Authority  was  in  the  hands  of  the  ten  '  Seniors,' 
the  Captain  and  three  monitors  at  their  head. 
There  were  curious  customs  of  all  sorts,  many  of 
them  unsatisfactory  survivals,  and  the  life  was 
rough ;  and  for  the  ten  junior  boys,  who  were 
Fags,  not  only  rough  but  hard.  Most  of  the 
menial  offices  of  the  College  were  performed  by 
them,  and  little  time  was  left  for  their  school  work. 
The  allowance  for  the  food  of  the  Queen's  Scholars 
was  so  inadequate  that  they  paid  a  considerable 
sum  each  Term  for  breakfasting  at  the  boarding- 
houses,  and  a  great  deal  of  evening  cooking  went 
on  at  the  three  fires  in  the  long  Dormitory.  These 
evil  economies  were  now  to  a  great  extent  abolished; 
proper  meals  were  provided  in  the  Hall,  and  ad- 
ditional service,  the  latter  indeed  at  the  expense  of 
the  boys,  or  rather  of  their  parents.  An  annual 
charge  was  also  made  in  the  bills  for  the  improve- 
ments to  the  College  buildings,  till  the  whole  expense 
was  paid  off.    This  tax  outlasted  Liddell's  time. 


94     Headmastership  of  Westminster    [ch.  iv 


It  will  be  well  to  insert  here  an  account  of  the 
new  Headmaster's  work  at  Westminster,  from 
the  pen  of  the  Rev.  James  Marshall,  who  writes 
with  an  authority  and  knowledge  possessed  by 
him  alone.  It  gives  a  very  interesting  picture 
of  Liddell's  position,  and  an  appreciative  estimate 
of  his  character : 

'  When  Mr.  Liddell  came  to  Westminster,  the 
school,  as  is  well  known,  was  at  a  very  low  ebb. 
There  were  even  vacancies  in  College  for  want 
of  a  sufficient  number  of  boys  qualified  by  con- 
tinuance in  the  school  to  make  up  the  statutable 
complement  of  forty.  Mr.  Liddell  had  from  the 
first  caused  it  to  be  fully  understood  that  he  would 
only  accept  the  Headmastership  on  the  express 
condition  that  he  should  bring  his  own  assistant- 
masters.  Irritation  was  naturally  to  be  expected 
on  the  part  of  the  gentlemen  who  retired,  and 
of  their  many  and  warm  friends.  Some  disquiet 
from  this  cause  was  also  more  widely  spread.  The 
Old  Westminsters  were  a  manly,  warm-hearted, 
outspoken  body  of  gentlemen  and  scholars,  devoted 
to  their  school,  and  jealous  of  its  traditions ;  a  little 
exclusive,  perhaps,  from  a  genuine  doubt  whether 
anything  outside  Westminster  could  equal  what 
was  within  it. 

'  I  am  glad  of  the  opportunity  of  acknowledging 
one  very  kindly  and  characteristic  tradition.  At 
the  annual  dinner  of  the  Old  Westminsters  it  was 
the  custom  to  invite  the  Masters  as  guests.  It 
was  also  the  custom,  on  that  occasion,  for  those 
Masters  who  were  clergymen,  to  wear  cassock  and 
bands,  and  the  pudding-sleeved  gown.    We  edified 


cH.  IV]  Mr.  Marshall's  Letter 


95 


the  passers-by  in  St.  James'  Street  by  stepping 
across  the  pavement  in  this  guise,  and  passing  into 
the  Thatched  House,  where  we  dined  in  the  room 
of  the  Kitcat  Club. 

'  This  important  constituency  welcomed  a  Head- 
master of  such  high  academical  distinction,  of  such 
weight  of  personal  character,  and,  I  think  I  must 
add,  of  such  a  presence ;  but  were  at  the  same  time 
somewhat  dismayed  at  seeing  that  four  out  of  the 
five  Masters  were  non- Westminster  men.  The  Old 
Westminsters  were  not  free  from  the  inconsistencies 
that  are  usually  found  in  large  and  irresponsible 
bodies.  They  were  anxious  for  improvement,  and 
at  the  same  time  nervously  alarmed  lest  any  actual 
step  taken  in  that  direction  should  impair  the 
characteristic  spirit  of  the  school.  Their  attitude 
therefore,  or  at  least  the  attitude  of  many  of  their 
number,  was  one  of  watchfulness  rather  than  of 
unreserved  confidence. 

'  Meantime,  the  criticisms  on  the  Dean  and 
Chapter  were  free  and  frequent,  and  sometimes 
bitter.  This  criticism  the  Abbey  authorities 
naturally  resented.  They  were  willing  to  do  all 
that  they  thought  could  fairly  be  required  of  them. 
Dean  Buckland  in  particular  entered  con  amove  into 
the  plan  of  structural  alterations  designed  for  the 
better  accommodation  of  the  Queen's  Scholars.  But 
they  were  plainly  determined  to  resist  indefinite 
encroachments  on  the  part  of  the  school : — and  with 
some  reason,  for  a  school,  be  it  where  it  may,  has 
a  capacious  maw  which  is  not  easily  satisfied. 

'  The  new  Headmaster  felt  his  position  very 
keenly ;  the  more  so,  perhaps,  because  his  personal 
influence  at  Oxford  had  been  unquestioned  and 


96     Headmastership  of  IVestminster    [ch.  iv 


extraordinarily  great.  He  was  fully  alive  to  his 
responsibilities,  and  grieved  that,  in  discharge  of 
them,  he  was  sometimes  forced  to  run  counter  to 
the  feelings  and  opinions  of  men  whose  regard  he 
valued  and  whose  position  he  respected.  He  was 
by  no  means  one  who  wore  his  heart  upon  his 
sleeve ;  but  once,  in  course  of  conversation,  with 
a  very  resolute,  but  at  the  same  time  a  sadly 
pained  expression,  he  took  upon  his  lips  the  words 
"  I  have  set  my  face  like  a  flint." 

'This  prejudice  was  gradually  but  not  slowly 
dissipated.  The  restoration  of  the  Play  had  a  very 
reassuring  effect.  It  had  been  intermitted  in  1846, 
and  a  question  had  been  raised  about  its  continuance 
in  future.  This  was  set  at  rest  by  Dean  Buckland's 
answer  to  a  memorial  presented  by  the  Marquis 
of  Lansdowne,  and  signed  by  nearly  all  the  Old 
Westminsters  then  living.  Accordingly  in  December 
1847,  Hervey  Vaughan  Williams,  the  Captain,  in  his 
dress  as  Queen's  Scholar,  with  the  usual  courtly 
addition  of  knee-breeches  and  silk  stockings,  stepped 
forward  on  the  Dormitory  stage  to  tender  the  new 
Headmaster  a  greeting  in  the  old  well-recognized 
form.  And  when,  in  the  Prologue,  he  thus  struck 
the  dominant  note — 

Gaudere  multos,  qui  nunc  audiunt,  puto, 
Quod  prodit  in  scenam  iterum  nostra  fabula ; 
Gaudemus  et  nos ;  anno  namque  proximo 
Omissa  multos  terruit,  baud  iniuria: 

the  burst  of  applause  which  followed  ;  the  pleasurable 
excitement  or  rather  enthusiasm  shown  by  so  many 
refined  and  intelligent  faces  ;  and,  in  the  older  men, 
the  look  of  kindly  encouragement  for  boyhood,  made 
up  a  scene  not  soon  to  be  forgotten  by  those  who 
witnessed  it. 


CH.  IV]  Increase  of  Numbers 


97 


'  Prince  Albert,  to  whom  Mr.  Liddell  was  domestic 
Chaplain,  was  present  at  a  fourth  special  representa- 
tion of  this  Play,  and  afterwards  at  that  of  185 1. 

'  The  school  increased  in  numbers  and  was  in 
a  fair  way  of  recovering  its  old  connexion.  Many, 
some  of  high  rank,  several  of  great  distinction,  again 
sent  sons  to  their  old  school.  It  was  seen  that 
Mr.  Liddell,  though  not  an  Old  Westminster,  was 
in  the  best  sense  of  the  term  a  Public  School  man  ; 
and  that,  while  he  would  prune  unsparingly  erratic 
and  mischievous  growths,  he  would  leave  untouched 
the  free,  manly,  and  honourable  stock  of  the  Public 
School  spirit.  He  was  too  wise  a  man  to  sacrifice 
a  use  because  of  an  abuse. 

'  The  tide  continued  for  some  time  steadily  to 
rise ;  but  counteracting  forces  came  gradually  into 
play.  It  is  worthy  of  the  great  position  formerly 
occupied  by  the  school  that  the  checks  to  its 
prosperity  should  be  closely  connected  with  the 
great  movements  of  national  thought. 

'  One  of  these,  which  is  still  in  full  force,  had 
already  made  itself  felt  in  Reform,  Catholic  Emanci- 
pation, and  Free  Trade.  'The  "Spirit  of  the  Age," 
J  which  with  the  "March  of  Intellect"  was  a  phrase 
much  in  vogue  at  that  time,  was  emphatically  one 
of  inquiry.  That  a  thing  had  been  was  no  pre- 
sumption that  it  should  be.  In  that  respect  the  age 
might  be  represented  by  Dr.  Arnold,  of  whom  it 
was  said  that  he  always  awoke  in  the  morning  with 
the  idea  that  everything  was  an  open  question. 
This  was  actually  the  case  at  Westminster  School 
from  the  time  of  Mr.  Liddell's  appointment.  Every- 
thing connected  with  it  was  a  subject  of  discussion 
with  a  view  to  possible  alteration  or  abolition.  The 

o 

I 


g8     Headniastership  of  IVestininster    [ch.  iv 


subjects  and  mode  of  instruction,  the  discipline,  the 
constitution  of  the  College,  the  relation  of  the  school 
to  the  Chapter,  to  the  Universities,  and  to  the  Public, 
were  all  in  their  turn  brought  under  the  microscope, 
and  had  to  await  the  result  of  the  scrutiny ;  and, 
to  crown  all,  it  was  extremely  doubtful  whether 
Westminster  School  was  to  remain  at  Westminster, 
or  to  migrate  to  another  site.  All  these  uncertain- 
ties were  perfectly  well  known  in  London,  and 
consequently  among  the  boys.  This  knowledge 
made  discipline  none  the  more  easy,  and  would 
have  had  a  very  prejudicial  effect,  but  for  the 
cordial  union  among  the  Masters,  a  union  which 
was  naturally  based  on  the  warm  regard  and  high 
admiration  which  was  felt  by  all  for  their  chief. 
All  wise  policy  for  a  School,  as  for  a  State,  must  be 
far-sighted.  It  was  impossible  to  plan  for  the  future, 
when  all  the  elements  which  entered  into  the  com- 
bination might  be  swept  away  at  six  months'  notice. 

'  There  is  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Liddell  chafed  against 
these  limitations,  which  in  every  direction  hampered 
his  designs.  He  was  a  strong  man  with  his  hands 
tied.  But  no  sign  of  impatience  appeared.  There 
was  no  cooling  of  his  interest  in  the  boys,  no 
diminution  of  the  care  with  which  he  superintended 
the  work  of  the  school  or  discharged  his  own 
special  office  of  the  teaching  of  the  Sixth  Form. 
Of  the  manner  of  that  teaching  I  naturally  had  no 
experience  ;  I  can  only  speak  of  results.  Boys  used 
to  pass  from  my  Form  into  the  Sixth.  Occasionally 
their  answers  to  examination  questions  would  pass 
through  my  hands ;  and  I  have  noticed  how  boys' 
minds  have  been  enriched  by  even  a  short  period 
of  intercourse  with  the  Headmaster. 


cH.  IV]        Impediments  to  Progress 


'  For  the  school  in  general  a  system  of  periodical 
examinations  was  devised  and  gradually  developed 
under  Mr.  Liddell  and  his  successor,  till  it  became 
theoretically  almost  perfect.  Practically  fewer  papers 
and  questions,  and  greater  strictness  in  exacting 
answers,  would  perhaps  have  been  better  for  the 
lower  Forms.  The  arrangement  was  such  that 
favouritism  was  impossible  ;  and,  after  the  minute 
and  unsparing  criticism  of  the  Public  School  Com- 
mission of  1864,  there  was  no  question  of  the  justice 
with  which  the  boys  had  been  classified  or  elected 
into  College  or  to  the  Universities  ;  nor,  it  may  be 
added,  a  hint  that  a  single  shilling  of  the  funds 
administered  by  the  school  authorities  had  been 
misapplied.  Meantime  every  idea  of  material  im- 
provement was  met  by  a  non  possumus.  The 
restoration  of  the  ample  and  nobly  proportioned 
schoolroom,  the  provision  of  class-rooms,  and  an 
almost  unique  school  Library  and  adjuncts,  works 
which  have  since  been  so  successfully  carried  out, 
could  not  even  be  attempted  while  the  tenure  of 
the  school  was  uncertain,  and  while  there  was  no 
arbitrament  possible  between  the  claims  of  the 
school  and  Chapter  on  one  another.  It  was  some- 
times forgotten  that  the  Dean  and  Chapter  were 
Trustees  for  their  own  body  as  well  as  for  the 
school.  Unfair  judgments  were  passed  upon  them. 
When  the  school  was  empowered  to  manage  its 
own  affairs,  it  was  found  that  the  service  of  the 
Queen's  Scholars  in  Hall  could  not  be  conducted 
on  the  same  lavish  scale  as  before. 

'  The  second  great  movement  which  impeded 
the  prosperity  of  the  school  was  the  attention 
which  began  to  be  paid  to  matters  affecting  the 

o  2 


lOO    Headmastership  of  Westminster    [ch.  iv 


health  of  individuals  and  the  public.  The  Duke 
of  Buccleuch's  Sanitary  Commission,  which  was 
favoured  by  Prince  Albert  and  Sir  Robert  Peel, 
reported  in  1844,  two  years  before  Mr.  Liddell  came 
to  Westminster.  There  was  a  growing  feeling  in 
favour  of  the  country  in  preference  to  town  for  the 
residence  of  boys.  The  feeling  was  increased  by 
an  unhappy  event  which  soon  followed. 

'  Dean  Buckland  had  lost  no  time  in  devising 
a  scheme  for  pipe-draining  the  precincts,  which  was 
to  be  carried  out  by  the  sanitary  authorities.  In 
the  preliminary  soundings,  notwithstanding  all  pre- 
cautions, a  source  of  malaria  was  tapped,  with  its 
most  disastrous  consequences.  Typhoid  fever  at- 
tacked the  Dean  and  two  of  his  family,  and  was 
fatal  to  two  young  and  promising  boys  who  had 
lately  been  elected  into  College.  Two  Canons' 
daughters  also  died.  The  terrible  disease  entered 
the  Headmaster's  house,  and  Mrs.  Liddell  was  for  ten 
days  in  imminent  danger.  Her  alarming  illness 
naturally  excited  general  interest  and  sympathy. 
Consequently  the  accidental  and  temporary  un- 
healthiness  of  Westminster  became  known  far  and 
wide ;  and  the  impression  made  was  so  deep  that 
it  did  not  disappear  when  the  cause  of  the  disease 
had  been  removed.  It  was  useless  to  point  out 
that  the  school  had  been  before,  and  afterwards 
continued  to  be,  remarkably  free  from  serious  illness. 

'  Still  the  belt  of  building  towards  the  South 
and  West  kept  spreading,  and  the  river,  before 
the  main  drainage  of  London  was  taken  in  hand, 
became  year  by  year  less  attractive.  Mr.  Liddell, 
who  had  been  profoundly  moved  by  the  visitation 
of  fever,  seems  gradually  to  have  become  convinced 


CH.  IV] 


Femr  at  the  School 


lOI 


of  the  impossibility  of  maintaining  a  great  residential 
school  at  Westminster.  I  have  heard  him  express 
that  opinion  in  very  strong  terms ;  and  I  think 
that  he  welcomed  preferment  to  the  Deanery  of 
Christ  Church  not  only  for  its  own  sake,  but  also 
because  it  relieved  him  from  a  position  of  great 
perplexity. 

'  The  strain  upon  his  powers  must  have  been 
very  great,  and  was  not  sufficiently  estimated  at  the 
time.  Besides  the  administration  of  a  Public  School 
under  special  embarrassments,  and  the  teaching 
of  the  Sixth  Form,  he  before  long  imposed  upon 
himself  the  difficult  and  responsible  task  of  preaching 
at  intervals  to  the  boys.  This  was  full  work  for 
one  man.  But  he  was  also  on  the  Oxford  Uni- 
versity Commission,  which  was  very  industrious 
in  its  sittings.  The  revision  of  his  Lexicon  was 
a  constant  drain  upon  his  time,  and  with  it  he  was 
engaged  in  the  severe  labour  of  combining  in  an 
orderly  narrative  his  researches  into  Roman  History. 
And  London  society  would  not  forgo  its  claim 
on  one  so  fitted  to  adorn  it,  who  was  living  in  its 
very  midst.  Yet  with  all  this  variety  of  care  and 
exertion,  there  was  rarely  any  appearance  of  hurry, 
still  less  of  irritation ;  but  uniformly  the  same 
dignified  composure  of  demeanour.  It  is  no  wonder 
that,  after  nine  such  years,  his  health  should  have 
broken  down,  and  that  he  should  have  had  medical 
orders  to  recruit  himself  during  two  winters  in 
Madeira,  soon  after  entering  upon  the  duties  of 
the  Deanery,' 

After  mentioning  the  Lexicon  and  the  Roman 
History,  Mr.  Marshall  refers  to  Liddell's  literary 
style  : 


I02    Headmastership  of  IVestminster    [ch.  iv 


*  It  has  this  quahty  of  excellence,  that  it  never 
draws  attention  to  itself.  This  purity  of  diction  is 
characteristic.  He  would  have  boys  and  men  say 
what  they  mean,  and  mean  what  they  say,  and  was 
ruthless  in  stripping  off  the  purpurei  panni.  An 
undergraduate  in  his  paper  work  at  an  Oxford 
examination  had  introduced,  d  propos  of  nothing,  a 
fine  expression  derived  from  Hooker,  and  ultimately, 
I  imagine,  from  the  Schoolmen,  "  The  angels  fell 
by  reflex  thought."  Mr.  Liddell  used  to  describe, 
with  some  gusto,  the  state  of  imbecility  to  which  the 
unfortunate  man  was  reduced,  when  he  was  asked 
in  viva  voce  to  explain  the  meaning  of  his  words. 

'  The  same  nervous  simplicity  extended  to  his 
Latin  style.  The  prologues  which  he  wrote  to  be 
spoken  before  the  Westminster  Play  exemplify  his 
power  of  compelling  a  somewhat  intractable  language 
to  express  exactly  what  he  felt.  One  specimen  is 
appended ;  a  description  of  the  famous  Exhibition 
of  1851  : 

Ergo  anno  iam  peracto  bis  millesimo 

Mire  aedificatum  vidimus  Palatium, 

Cui  non  rigebat  mole  saxea  latus 

Firmique  solido  roboris  fulcimine, 

Sed  vitrea  sic  micabat  pulciiritudine, 

Et  paene  incredibili  artificis  sollertia, 

Tanquam  si  nebula  mane  consurgens  novo 

Gelata  medio  constitisset  aethere. 

Sed  inerat  aedi  si  quid  usquam  splendidi 

Si  quid  magnifici,  si  quid  ignoti  prius 

Ars  hominum  efficere  posset  atque  industria ; 

Denique  natura  si  quid  olim  cautius 

Terrae  in  latebris  condidisset  abditis, 

Si  quid  sub  alto  condidisset  aequore, 

Sive  in  inaccessis  montibus,  id  inerat  quoque'. 

*  Another  instance  may  be  quoted  in  the  elegiac  lines  which  told  of 
the  'Adelphi,'  a  play  originally  acted  at  the  funeral  games  of  Aemilius 


CH. IV]  Latin  Prologues  103 


'Mr.  Liddell's speech  had,  of  course,  all  the  refine- 
ment of  breeding  and  culture,  but  it  breathed  of  the 
North  in  the  greater  richness  of  the  vowel  sounds, 
and  the  more  distinct  articulation  of  consonants. 
The  aspirate  made  itself  felt  in  such  words  as  "who," 
"when,"  and  "where."  I  have  often  thought  that 
the  greater  play  thus  habitually  given  to  the  lips 
made  them  more  expressive  than  their  owner  quite 
realized.  He  certainly  had  the  power  of  saying 
much  without  words.  For  instance,  one  of  his 
pupils  at  Christ  Church,  a  man  of  mark,  was  observed 
to  be  preparing  his  work  for  lecture  with  a  care  that 
was  by  no  means  usual  in  his  case.  Being  rallied 
by  his  friends,  he  said,  "  Well,  you  know,  I  can't 
stand  Liddell's  look  when  I  am  breaking  down." 
This  silent  punishment,  be  it  observed,  was  for  those 
who  did  not  use  their  gifts,  not  for  those  who  had 
no  gifts  to  use. 

'  His  sermons  to  the  boys  were  strong,  clear,  and 
sometimes  severely  simple.  One  in  particular  deeply 
affected  them,  when  he  spoke  of  their  schoolfellows, 
some  lying  beneath  the  "  bleak  Crimean  shore," 
others  upon  it  with  their  brave  comrades  in  arms 
enduring  privation  and  toil,  and  living  in  hourly 
familiarity  with  death.  In  the  year  185 1  he  preached 
before  the  Queen  a  sermon  on  faith,  hope,  and  charity, 

Paullus,  and  at  Westminster  in  the  December  following  the  death  of 
General  Wolfe  (1759)  and  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  (1852). 
The  '  swing '  of  the  verses  still  lingers  in  the  memory  after  an  interval 
of  forty-six  years. 

Fabula  quae  prodit  nata  est  dum  maxima  Roma 

Prosequitur  Paulli  funera  moesta  sui ; 
Dein  nostram  redit  in  scenam,  volventibus  annis, 

Ut  Wolfi  exsequias  Anglia  tristis  obit ; 
Tertia  sors  restat— vocat  illam  tertius  Heros — 
Te,  Wolfi,  maior,  maior  et  Aemilio. 


104    Headmastevship  of  Westminster   [ch.  iv 


which  was  afterwards  published  by  command.  That 
perhaps  gives  the  best  idea  of  his  spiritual  insight 
and  reach  of  intellect,  and  suggests  the  thoughts  on 
which  he  most  loved  to  dwell. 

*  In  his  preaching  there  was  the  same  withdrawal 
of  self  as  in  his  writing.  This  was  not  mere  literary 
method,  or  good  taste  ;  it  was  the  result  of  genuine 
Christian  humility,  which  shrunk  from  display,  but 
was  deeply  rooted,  and  was  part  of  the  staple  of  his 
inner  life.  I  venture  to  assert,  against  all  possible 
contradiction,  that  no  estimate  of  the  late  Dean's 
character  can  be  just  and  full,  which  does  not  take 
this  gracious  quality  into  account. 

*  It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  speak  of  Dean 
Liddell's  reputation  for  learning.  But,  great  scholar 
as  he  was,  his  noblest  lessons  were  taught  less  by 
what  he  knew  than  by  what  he  was.  Those  who  were 
brought  into  close  relations  with  him,  especially 
minds  that  had  the  plasticity  of  youth,  learned  by 
the  mere  association  to  loathe  what  was  mean  and 
cowardly,  to  covet  earnestly  the  best  gifts,  and  to 
be  true  in  thought  and  word  by  the  strength  of  Him 
who  is  the  Truth.' 

This  admirable  testimony  to  the  Headmaster's 
work  and  character  may  be  briefly  supplemented  by 
some  reminiscences  of  those  who  were  boys  under 
him. 

I.  One  vivid  impression,  which  length  of  time 
has  not  wholly  effaced,  was  that  of  awe.  The  new 
comer,  called  up  to  stand  before  him  and  the  Under- 
master,  both  dressed  in  full  canonicals,  with  bands, 
cassock,  and  Geneva  gown,  and  to  answer  questions 
with  the  object  of  having  his  place  in  the  school 


CH.  IV]  LiddeWs  demeanour 


determined,  experienced  the  unpleasant  sensation  of 
sinking  into  his  shoes,  before  a  presence  so  majestic, 
a  voice  so  deep,  a  manner  so  reserved.  And  this 
first  impression  was  not  transitory.  It  was  renewed 
every  Saturday  morning,  when  the  Headmaster  went 
round  the  school,  visiting  Form  after  Form,  and 
reading  out  the  week's  order  of  merit,  the  '  principes' 
as  the  list  was  called  from  the  winners  of  the  top 
places.  This  review  of  the  week's  work  was  a  severe 
and  alarming  scrutiny,  and  idlers  met  with  stern 
rebuke.  Yet  even  while  they  dreaded  his  advent,  the 
boys  learnt  to  attach  immense  importance  to  his  brief 
words  of  comment,  and  to  be  greatly  encouraged  by 
his  praise.  There  was  indeed  much  gentleness 
underlying  his  austere  demeanour.  On  one  occasion 
when  he  had  to  rebuke  a  boy  of  good  ability  who, 
week  after  week,  had  fallen  below  his  proper  place  in 
Form,  his  voice  faltered,  and  his  eyes  moistened,  as 
he  spoke  in  fatherly  condemnation  of  the  folly  and 
wrong  of  this  continued  idleness.  He  never  spoke 
in  anger :  he  never  lost  perfect  self-control.  He 
had  learnt  the  value  of  self-command.  In  a  letter 
from  Westminster  to  an  intimate  friend  who  had 
been  appointed  to  the  Headship  of  a  College  at 
Oxford,  he  wrote  with  the  frankness  of  old  acquaint- 
ance on  the  importance  of  calmness  in  dealing  with 
young  people  : 

'  Perhaps  you  will  not  take  it  ill  if  I  take  the 
liberty  of  an  old  friend  to  add  a  piece  of  advice. 

Several  persons  who  formerly  knew  you  at  ,  in 

talking  over  with  me  the  chances  of  the  election, 

p 


io6    Headinastership  of  Westininster    [ch.  iv 

doubted  the  propriety  of  electing  you,  because  (they 
said)  you  did  not  exercise  sufficient  control  over 
your  temper  in  dealing  with  undergraduates.  I  am 
afraid  I  cannot  boast  of  a  very  good  temper  myself. 
But  I  am  fully  aware — and  try  to  exercise  what 
I  feel — of  the  great  and  primary  importance  of  per- 
fect coolness  and  deliberation  in  speaking  to  and 
dealing  with  young  persons.  I  know  not  whether, 
and  how  far,  what  I  have  heard  is  true.  If  it  is  not 
true,  then  what  I  say  is  naught.  If  it  is,  you  are 
(I  am  sure)  candid  enough  to  set  what  I  say  down 
to  the  right  and  only  motive.' 

But  gradually,  to  the  feeling  of  awe  was  added 
that  of  affection,  as  the  boys  rose  in  the  school  and 
came  under  his  personal  instruction  in  the  Sixth 
Form.  For  he  was  an  admirable  teacher :  thorough, 
clear,  suggestive,  stimulating ;  exacting  in  the  care 
which  he  demanded  in  the  preparation  of  book-work, 
but  singularly  interesting  in  the  instructiveness  of 
his  comments  and  the  wide  range  of  his  illustrations. 
He  was  not  a  mere  textual  scholar,  but  an  historian 
and  statesman.  His  Juvenal  lesson  still  lingers  in 
the  memory,  as  a  model  of  what  a  lesson  should 
be;  the  boys  were  not  only  well  drilled  in  the  text 
and  allusions,  but  were  referred  to  the  best  modern 
satires,  and  indirectly  led  to  an  appreciation  of  much 
of  the  noblest  English  literature.  He  was  fond  of 
poetry,  and  taught  the  elder  boys  to  recite  it  well. 
During  a  portion  of  the  year,  there  were  '  speeches ' 
in  the  great  schoolroom  on  Friday  mornings,  at  the 
end  of  the  lesson,  in  the  presence  of  all  the  boys, 
when  the  members  of  the  Sixth  Form  stood  up 


CH.  IVj  The  '  Challenges '  107 

by  the  Headmaster's  table,  and  repeated  passages  of 
English  poetry  which  had  been  previously  selected. 
On  one  occasion,  when  the  present  Vicar  of  St.  Peter's, 
Bournemouth,  had  recited  the  whole  of  Gray's '  Elegy' 
with  faultless  taste  and  without  a  single  mistake,  an 
emphatic  'Thank  you.  Fisher '  gave  an  apt  expression 
to  the  feeling  of  all  the  listeners,  and  a  more  than 
ample  reward  to  the  reciter. 

In  those  ancient  days,  a  rudimentary  knowledge 
of  Hebrew  was  most  wisely  required  of  the  elder 
boys  who  were  candidates  for  the  Universities. 
Liddell  taught  this  subject  in  a  very  interesting 
manner,  although  it  was  generally  believed  that  he 
had  acquired  all  his  knowledge  in  the  short  interval 
between  his  appointment  as  Headmaster  and  his 
entering  on  his  office. 

2.  The  challenges,  or  examination  for  admission 
into  the  College,  were  a  severe  tax  upon  the  Head- 
master's powers  of  endurance.  According  to  modern 
custom,  the  candidates  would  be  tested  by  an 
examination  lasting  a  few  days  or  a  few  hours : 
but  in  those  more  leisurely  times  the  competition 
extended  over  two  months,  occupying  almost  daily 
the  interval  between  morning  school  and  dinner; 
the  minor  candidates,  as  they  were  called,  were 
pitted  one  against  another  in  pairs,  engaging  in  a 
curious  conflict  partaking  somewhat  of  the  nature 
of  the  old  academical  disputations.  Short  passages 
of  Greek  or  Latin,  previously  selected  by  the  Head- 
master from  the  Greek  Epigrams  or  Ovid's  Meta- 
morphoses, were  construed,  and  then  the  lower  boy, 

p  2 


io8   Headinastership  of  JVestmmster   [ch.  iv 

called  the  challenger,  asked  his  opponent  certain 
questions  founded  upon  the  words  or  sentences  in 
the  passages.  If  the  upper  boy,  the  challengee, 
could  not  answer  them,  and  the  challenger  himself 
answered  them  correctly,  the  former  lost  his  place, 
and  became  in  turn  the  challenger.  So  the  contest 
went  on,  till  the  stock  of  questions  was  exhausted. 
In  some  challenges,  the  number  of  questions  was 
limited,  in  others  it  was  not ;  and  two  boys  who 
had  been  carefully  drilled  in  the  Greek  and  Latin 
grammars  would  keep  up  the  contest  throughout  a 
whole  day,  from  early  morning  till  nine  at  night.  It 
was  a  mode  of  examination  which  demanded  rigid 
grammatical  accuracy,  and  the  Headmaster,  who 
presided,  had  to  be  continually  on  the  alert  to  note 
every  question  and  answer,  and  to  give  a  prompt 
decision  on  all  doubtful  points.  Around  him  stood 
the  '  Helps,'  elder  boys  who  had  prepared  the 
combatants  for  the  fray,  and  acted  as  advocates 
for  their  several  clients.  When  a  question  arose 
as  to  the  exact  meaning  or  derivation  of  a  word, 
the  large  dictionaries  were  referred  to  ;  and  Liddell 
and  Scott  was  of  course  the  authority  for  Greek. 
Sometimes  discussions  would  arise  even  as  to  the 
correctness  of  this  august  volume,  and  'Helps' 
would  boldly  venture  to  quote  Scapula  or  Schreve- 
lius  against  the  new  Lexicon.  But  Liddell  was 
always  good-tempered  and  always  reasonable,  and 
enjoyed  the  keen  advocacy  of  the  boys.  It  used 
indeed  to  be  told — but  this  was  an  amusing  libel 
which  no  one  really  believed — that  when  an  admitted 


CH.  IV] 


School  Epigrams 


error  was  pointed  out,  Liddell  would  say,  '  Ah,  yes, 
Mr.  Scott  wrote  that  paragraph,'  This  tradition, 
however,  gives  a  point  to  the  following  anecdote, 
which  is  narrated  on  the  authority  of  the  actual 
writer  of  the  bold  effusion.  Once  a  year,  on  the 
Friday  before  the  election  to  the  Universities,  it 
was  customary  for  the  Headmaster  to  come  into 
school,  carrying  a  bowl  containing  Maundy  money, 
the  little  silver  coins  which  were  supplied  from  the 
Royal  Mint.  He  would  then  call  upon  the  boys  to 
gather  round  him,  and  to  read  epigrams  upon  Theses 
announced  a  few  hours  before.  These  epigrams — 
supposed  to  be  the  boys'  own  composition — were 
rewarded  by  gifts  of  the  silver  pence  ;  the  very  best 
gained  four  coins :  a  four-penny,  three-penny,  two- 
penny, and  penny  piece ;  the  others  were  rewarded 
by  a  less  complete  set.  Upon  one  occasion,  when 
the  challenges  had  revealed  some  mistake  in  the 
Lexicon,  the  thesis  for  school  epigrams  happened 
to  be  '  Scribimus  indocti  doctique!  A  boy  delivered 
the  following  epigram : 

Two  men  wrote  a  Lexicon,  Liddell  and  Scott ; 

Some  parts  were  clever,  but  some  parts  were  not. 

Hear,  all  ye  learned,  and  read  me  this  riddle, 

How  the  wrong  part  wrote  Scott,  and  the  right  part  wrote  Liddell. 

The  audacious  poet  survived  the  venture,  and 
gained  not  only  a  hearty  laugh,  but  a  full  comple- 
ment of  pence,  from  the  Headmaster. 

On  another  occasion,  soon  after  the  schoolroom 
had  received  its  new  and  mean  furniture,  the  thesis 
mutandus  locus  est  was  given  out,  and  produced  the 


I  lo  Headmaster  ship  of  Westminster    [ch.  iv 


following  epigram  from  the  pen  of  one  of  the  senior 
boys,  now  a  dignified  Registrar  in  Chancery : 

'Mutandus  locus  est,'  and  those  who  rule 

Act  up  to  this ;  improvements  come  in  swarms. 
They  change  the  ancient  customs  of  the  school. 

And  will  not  even  leave  to  us  our  forms. 
Instead  of  those  old  desks  with  many  a  name 

Carved  over,  they  would  bring  us  to  propriety 
By  filling  school — unutterable  shame — 

With  benches  from  the  National  Society ! 

Another  delightful  epigram — on  the  same  thesis — 
was  read  by  a  very  small  boy : 

I  was  placed  in  the  'fourth'  when  I  came  here, 
By  Mr.  Liddell  and  Mr.  Weare; 
But  I've  done  pretty  well,  so  I  think  I've  some  claims 
To  be  placed  in  the  '  fifth '  under  Mr.  James. 

It  is  evident  that  liberty  of  speech  was  not  then 
curtailed  at  Westminster. 

3.  The  moral  tone  of  the  school  was  undoubtedly 
raised  under  Liddell's  rule,  and  the  manners  grew 
less  rough,  as  the  conditions  of  life  were  made  more 
comfortable.  It  was  of  great  benefit  to  the  boys  to 
be  guided  by  masters  who  were  thorough  gentlemen, 
and  entirely  imbued  with  the  Public  School  spirit. 
They  all  trusted  the  boys,  were  ready  to  accept  their 
word,  and  would  take  no  unfair  advantage  of  them. 
There  are  no  memories  of  Liddell  which  are  not 
associated  with  a  chivalrous  sense  of  honour ;  and 
boys  instinctively  grew  to  be  honourable  and 
truthful  themselves. 

One  who  can  speak  from  the  most  intimate  know- 
ledge of  him  writes : 


CH. IV]         Special  School  Services  in 


'  What  I  should  like  brought  out  is  his  great 
aversion  to  exaggerations  about  anything,  and  his 
love  of  exact  truth.  I  think  of  late  years  at  West- 
minster he  scarcely  ever  punished  except  for  a  lie, 
and  then  he  had  no  mercy.  There  was  nothing 
that  disturbed  him  so  much  as  to  feel  that  any  one 
was  not  speaking  the  exact  truth  to  him ;  he  never 
trusted  them  again.  I  have  heard  that  boys  used  to 
say  they  could  not  tell  Liddell  a  lie  and  look  him 
in  the  face ;  and  I  have  heard  him  say,  "  I  can  call 
no  man  a  gentleman  who  can  act  a  lie,  even  if  he 
does  not  tell  it."  He  was  truth  itself,  and  even 
what  is  called  "  humbug  "  he  could  not  endure.' 

The  U  nder-master  taught  the  Queen's  Scholars  the 
same  lesson.  The  latter  was  indeed,  perhaps,  over- 
sensitive on  one  point.  Upon  entering  College  from 
his  house,  he  would  always  give  a  prolonged  warning 
by  putting  the  key  noisily  into  the  lock,  and  turning 
it  in  a  very  leisurely  fashion  ;  or  if  he  passed  through 
College  in  the  day-time,  he  would  cough,  or  rattle 
his  bunch  of  keys,  to  enable  the  boys  to  know 
that  he  was  near.  Perhaps  they  sometimes  took 
advantage  of  this  courtesy ;  but  on  the  whole,  it 
was  respectfully  appreciated. 

The  institution  of  special  school  services  in  the 
Abbey  had  much  influence  on  the  religious  life  of 
the  boys,  and  brought  the  Headmaster  into  a  new 
relation  to  them.  Before  Liddell's  time,  they  had 
attended  the  Abbey  simply  at  the  usual  morning 
and  evening  services  on  Sunday,  and  never  in  full 
numbers.  Leave  out  was  always  granted  to  boys 
who  had  friends  in  London,  from  noon  on  Saturday 


112    Headniastership  of  Westminster    [ch.  iv 

till  Sunday  evening.  Many,  therefore,  were  always 
away  from  the  Abbey  services,  and  the  remnant  sat 
in  their  accustomed  places  in  the  choir.  The  sermons 
were  preached  by  the  Canon  in  residence,  and  had 
no  special  reference  to  the  needs  and  difficulties  of 
boys,  Liddell  resolved  to  have  an  occasional  service 
for  the  school  alone,  at  which  he  might  himself 
preach.  He  accordingly  got  leave  from  the  Dean 
and  Chapter  to  use  the  Abbey  on  the  first  Sunday 
of  each  month,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The 
whole  school  then  attended,  and  no  leave  of  absence 
was  granted.  There  was  no  music,  but  the  prajT'ers 
were  read  by  the  Under-master,  and  Liddell  preached 
from  his  stall.  They  were,  as  Mr.  Marshall  has 
already  stated,  very  remarkable  sermons :  simple, 
direct,  stately,  dealing  with  the  incidents  of  school 
life,  and  the  current  events  of  the  history  of  the  day. 
They  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  boys.  One — 
on  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  and  of 
Liddell's  favourite  pupil,  HerveyVaughan  Williams — 
he  printed  for  private  circulation,  with  the  line  from 
Tennyson  as  its  motto,  '  The  path  of  duty  is  the 
way  to  glory.'  At  other  times,  though  he  would  not 
print  his  sermon,  he  would,  at  their  earnest  request, 
put  it  into  the  hands  of  the  elder  boys,  and  they 
would  copy  it  for  themselves  :  a  good  test  of  the 
value  they  attached  to  it.  The  services  were  greatly 
liked,  and  did  much  good ;  but  the  hour  was  un- 
comfortably early,  and  the  stopping  of  '  leave  out ' 
was  a  tiresome  incident  of  them.  In  the  winter, 
moreover,  the  Abbey,  then  untouched  by  any  system 


CH.  IV]  The  Latin  Play 


113 


of  heating,  was  piercingly  cold,  even  dangerous  to 
delicate  boys  without  great  coats  and  before  the 
breakfast  hour :  and  it  was  but  dimly  lighted  with 
a  few  wax  candles.  One  can  still  recall  the  chill 
and  the  darkness,  and  the  prayers  unrelieved  by 
music  or  singing,  and  then  the  magnificent  English 
and  sonorous  tones  of  the  preacher.  Perhaps  the 
sermons  gained  in  impressiveness  from  the  fact  that 
'  Early  Abbey,'  as  it  was  called,  came  only  once  a 
month. 

4.  The  Latin  Play,  performed  before  the  Christ- 
mas holidays,  was,  from  the  point  of  view  of  the 
Queen's  Scholars,  the  greatest  event  of  the  year. 
The  erection  indeed  of  the  theatre  in  the  actual 
Dormitory  threw  all  domestic  arrangements  into  con- 
fusion for  some  weeks  beforehand,  and  the  constant 
rehearsals  were  perhaps  to  some  extent  a  hindrance 
to  school  work.  But  larger  considerations  happily 
prevented  any  change  in  the  time-honoured  custom 
dating  from  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign;  and  the 
crowded  and  enthusiastic  audience  assembled  in  the 
narrow  and  uncomfortable  theatre  showed  the  very 
wide  interest  taken  in  the  performance  by  the  dlite 
of  London  society.  The  Prologues  were,  as  a 
rule,  written  by  the  Headmaster,  and  specimens  of 
Liddell's  felicitous  Latinity  have  been  already  given. 
The  Epilogues  were  humorous  satires  on  the  foibles 
of  the  day,  and  were  usually  the  work  of  some 
Old  Westminster  of  scholarly  tastes.  Many  possess 
sterling  merit  as  specimens  of  Latin  adapted  as  a 
vehicle  for  the  expression  of  modern  ideas,  and  for 

Q 


114    Headmastership  of  Westminster    [ch.  iv 

their  refined  and  delightful  humour.  The  Chartists, 
the  Peace  Congress,  and  the  '  Bloomer '  dress  fur- 
nished the  themes  of  three  of  the  best  Epilogues 
during  Liddell's  time.  In  the  last  of  these,  Thais, 
Pythias,  and  Dorias  come  upon  the  stage  dressed 
in  half-masculine  costume,  to  the  horror  of  their 
former  lovers.  Thais  invites  Thraso  to  cross  the 
Atlantic  with  her  to  America,  and  is  met  with  the 
reply : 

Ah  !  me  mare  terret ; 
Ipsaque  tu  terres,  horrida  imago  maris\ 

Mrs.  Dexter,  Mrs.  Bloomer's  representative  in 
England,  threatened  an  action  at  law  for  the 
ridicule  thrown  upon  the  cause  she  advocated ; 
being  especially  annoyed  at  the  lines  (probably 
the  only  ones  at  all  intelligible  to  her) : 

Bloomer  tu,  Dexter  an  audis, 
Nil  opus  hie  inquam  est  dexteritate  tua. 

By  a  strict  etiquette,  the  Play  was  always  omitted 
on  the  death  of  a  Royal  personage.  The  Queen 
Dowager  died  on  December  2,  1849,  when  all  the 
preparations  for  the  year  were  well  advanced,  the 
theatre  erected,  and  the  tickets  issued.  What  was 
to  be  done  ?  The  Queen's  Scholars  audaciously  took 
the  matter  into  their  own  hands,  and  wrote  a  letter 
to  the  Prime  Minister,  Lord  John  Russell,  who  was 
an  Old  Westminster,  entreating  him  to  represent  to 
Her  Majesty  the  disappointment  and  inconvenience 
which  would  result  if  the  Play  were  abandoned. 
They  also  wrote  to  Colonel  Phipps,  the  Queen's 
private  secretary.    Through  these  two  persons,  both 


cH.  IV]     Death  of  the  Queen  Dowager  115 


of  whom  took  it  for  granted  that  the  application  was 
made  with  the  full  sanction  of  the  school  authorities, 
Her  Majesty  was  approached,  and  most  graciously 
and  considerately  allowed  the  performance  of  the 
Play,  provided  it  did  not  take  place  on  the  day  of 
the  funeral.  The  matter  then  came,  for  the  first 
time,  to  the  Headmaster's  ears,  and  the  triumph  of 
the  boys  was  short-lived.  He  interposed  without 
a  moment's  delay,  and  wrote  as  follows  to  Colonel 
Phipps : 

'  I  regret  extremely  to  find  that  the  Queen's  Scholars 
of  St.  Peter's,  Westminster  have  thought  fit  to 
apply  to  Her  Majesty  to  sanction  the  performance 
of  the  usual  Latin  Play,  while  the  remains  of  Her 
late  Gracious  Majesty  the  Queen  Dowager  are  still 
uninterred. 

'  It  is  probable  that  the  application  was  understood 
to  be  sanctioned  by  the  Dean  of  Westminster  or 
myself  It  was  however  made  without  our  know- 
ledge ;  and  if  we  had  been  consulted  we  should 
certainly  not  have  allowed  it  to  be  made. 

'  It  is  the  feeling  of  all  the  authorities  of  the  school, 
as  well  as  of  many  old  Westminster  men,  that  this 
would  not  be  a  proper  occasion  on  which  to  break 
through  an  old  custom  of  respect  paid  by  the  Royal 
foundation  to  the  Family  of  the  Sovereign.  The 
personal  excellence,  as  well  as  the  exalted  station 
of  Her  late  Majesty,  demand  this  tribute.  We 
therefore,  with  all  gratitude  for  the  consideration 
shown  by  Her  Majesty,  and  especially  for  the 
extremely  kind  and  gracious  way  in  which  Her 
pleasure  was  conveyed,  beg  leave  to  decline  the 
permission  which  She  has  accorded.' 

Q  2 


ii6    Headniastership  of  Wesbninster    [ch.  iv 

The  Play  was  accordingly  most  properly  omitted  ; 
and  in  the  Prologue  of  the  following  year  a  fitting 
reference  was  made  to  the  death  of  the  Queen 
Dowager. 

5.  The  Headmaster  had  already,  in  the  previous 
year,  run  counter  to  the  wishes  of  the  boys  in  another 
matter  of  great  importance  in  their  estimation — the 
Eton  and  Westminster  boat-race.  This  contest 
had  begun  in  1829  ;  and,  in  spite  of  the  disparity  in 
the  numbers  of  the  two  schools,  Westminster  had 
been  victorious  in  four  out  of  the  eight  races  which 
had  already  taken  place ;  and  in  1846,  on  the  course 
from  Putney  to  Mortlake,  had  gained  so  decisive 
a  victory  that  it  was  arrogantly  asserted  by  the 
boys  that  if  Eton  were  beaten  again  she  would 
probably  refrain  from  challenging  her  adversary  in 
future  years.  So  in  1847  there  was  a  general 
enthusiasm  in  favour  of  the  race  ;  a  new  boat  was 
built  by  Noulton  and  Wyld ;  it  was  named  after 
Mrs.  Liddell,  and  launched  by  her;  and  on  July  29 
the  race  was  rowed  on  the  ebb  tide  from  Barker's 
rails  to  Putney.  But  the  fates  were  adverse,  and 
Eton  gained  an  easy  victory, 

Liddell,  however,  felt  grave  misgivings  as  to  the 
expediency  of  such  a  contest.  To  row  so  long  a 
course  was  a  severe  tax  upon  the  physical  power 
of  the  boys  ;  too  much  time  was  spent  in  preparation, 
and  too  much  interest  was  devoted  to  the  event : 
and  the  necessary  publicity  of  a  contest  on  London 
waters  was  in  itself  an  evil.  Dr.  Williamson  had 
felt  similar  scruples,  and  had  prevented  the  race 


CH. IV]     Eton  and  Westminster  Race  iij 


from  taking  place  in  1838,  though  he  had  allowed 
it  in  subsequent  years.  And  now  it  was  definitely 
abandoned  ;  not  without  many  regrets  on  the  part 
of  the  boys  and  the  old  members  of  the  school,  but 
with  the  full  concurrence  of  the  authorities.  In 
i860,  under  Dr.  Scott,  an  Etonian  Headmaster,  an 
attempt  was  made  to  revive  the  contest  on  a  shorter 
course  ;  but  after  four  years'  experience  it  was  finally 
given  up.  The  London  river  had  by  this  time 
become  too  crowded  and  dangerous  for  practice  ;  and 
Eton  was  overwhelmingly  superior  in  numbers. 

So  the  work  went  on,  busily  and  hopefully.  The 
school  grew  in  numbers  and  in  reputation  ;  there 
seemed  every  prospect  of  its  steady  advance.  Then 
came  the  first  great  blow  and  crushing  anxiety. 
The  fever  which  desolated  the  precincts  did  not 
spare  the  school ;  two  of  the  Queen's  Scholars  died, 
as  has  been  already  mentioned,  and  Mrs.  Liddell  lay 
for  ten  days  unconscious,  at  the  point,  as  it  seemed, 
of  death.  Through  the  skill  of  Dr.  Watson,  and 
the  assiduous  care  of  Dr.  Acland,  who  was  hastily 
summoned  from  Oxford  to  watch  by  her  bedside, 
her  life  was  happily  saved. 

But  the  effect  of  this  outbreak  upon  the  fortunes 
of  the  school  was  immediate.  The  entries  in  1846-7 
had  been  47.  Three  years  afterwards  they  were 
37,  and  in  the  succeeding  years,  30,  32,  34,  37, 
and  23  respectively.  The  rumour  of  unhealthiness, 
founded  upon  this  one  outbreak  which  could  be 
traced  to  a  definite  source  of  infection,  spread  abroad 
among  the  public :  boys  were  withdrawn  and  the 


ii8    Headmastership  of  Westmmster    [ch.  iv 


numbers  would  not  rise.  Cholera,  too,  came  to 
London  in  the  summer  of  1849,  and  the  Head- 
master was  obliged  hastily,  and  on  his  own  responsi- 
bility, to  postpone  the  meeting  of  the  school  in 
September.  This  act  brought  him  into  collision 
with  the  Dean  of  Westminster,  who  thought  he  had 
exceeded  his  powers,  and  usurped  the  Decanal 
authority  ;  and  a  correspondence  ensued,  containing 
among  others  this  severe  letter  from  Buckland : 

'  The  tone  of  your  last  letter,  which  I  received  at 
Woburn  Abbey,  where  I  had  not  access  to  our 
statutes,  and  in  which  you  "  express  what  you  think 
should  be  the  proper  rule  for  your  conduct  in  such 
matters,"  makes  it  imperative  that  we  should  come 
to  a  distinct  understanding  as  to  the  duties  of  our 
respective  offices  in  this  College.  .  .  .  You  say 
"you  believe  the  Headmaster  always  has  regulated 
the  length  of  the  holidays  without  reference  to  the 
Dean."  I  have  inquired  of  the  Chapter  Clerk, 
whose  recollections  are  most  exact,  whether  in  his 
father's  time  any  extension  of  the  customary  weeks 
of  vacation  was  ever  made  by  the  Headmaster 
without  permission  first  obtained  of  the  Dean.  His 
reply  was.  Never ^  except  when  the  Sovereign  com- 
manded it.  I  therefore  think  that  your  recent 
extension  of  the  holidays,  on  account  of  the  cholera, 
without  consulting  the  Dean  (whom  a  letter  might 
have  reached  in  twenty-four  hours  in  any  part  of 
the  kingdom  if  sent  to  the  Deanery)  was  a  virtual, 
if  not  a  direct  violation  of  our  statute.  Cap.  14,  de 
vitanda  aeris  contagione.  ...  As  you  refer  to  the 
practice  of  other  collegiate  schools,  I  must  inform 
}  Ou  that  in  my  own  case,  as  a  scholar  of  Winton 


CH.  IV] 


Dean  Buckland's  Letter 


119 


College,  Dr.  Huntingford,  of  his  sole  authority  as 
Warden,  gave  me  leave  of  absence  for  six  weeks  of 
ordinary  school  time  ;  and  that  on  my  waiting  on  the 
Headmaster,  Dr.  Goddard,  of  whom  I  had  asked 
no  permission,  on  the  eve  of  my  departure  for  these 
six  weeks,  he  said  to  me  that  had  he  been  Warden, 
or  possessed  power  to  prevent  it,  I  should  not  have 
had  this  indulgence.  In  the  case  of  Rugby,  which 
you  refer  to,  and  where  you  say  Dr.  Arnold  stipulated 
for  absolute  power  as  the  condition  of  his  accepting 
office,  I  consider  such  a  foundation  by  a  private 
individual  (and  governed  by  lay  Trustees,  not  one 
of  whom  is  necessarily  resident,  nor  accustomed  to 
collegiate  or  academic  habits)  to  form  no  parallel 
to  the  collegiate  establishments  of  Winchester,  Eton, 
and  Westminster ;  and  if  Dr.  Arnold  (my  friend  and 
relative),  whose  transcendental  love  of  liberty  induced 
him  to  admit  of  no  law  within  that  school  but  his 
own  will,  and  tolerate  no  superior  to  himself,  and 
to  stipulate,  as  a  condition  of  his  accepting  office, 
that  there  should  be  in  Rugby  School  no  control 
superior  to  his  own  : — if  he  had  been  nominated  under 
similar  conditions  by  the  Dean  of  Christ  Church  or 
Master  of  Trinity,  and  proposed  to  the  Dean  of 
Westminster  as  the  successor  of  Dr.  Williamson, 
I  must  have  exercised  my  veto,  and  would  not  and 
could  not  have  assented  to  such  a  stipulation  without 
violating  my  oath  to  keep  the  Statutes  of  our 
College.  The  effect  of  your  proposal  "  that  the 
boys  ought  to  look  to  the  Headmaster  as  supreme" 
would  amount  to  a  reversal  of  the  past  and  present 
order  of  authorities  recognized  by  the  tradition  of 
all  Old  Westminsters,  viz.  that  within  this  College 
we  know  but  three  authorities,  the  Sovereign,  the 


I20   Headmastevship  of  Westminster    [ch.  iv 

Dean,  and  the  Headmaster  ;  and  to  substitute  a  new 
order  of  precedence,  consisting  of  the  Sovereign,  the 
Headmaster,  and  the  Dean.  I  should  consider  my 
assent  to  such  an  abdication  of  my  proper  place  to 
be  a  betrayal  of  that  office  which  has  been  entrusted 
to  me  by  the  Sovereign,  and  nothing  but  the  mandate 
of  our  Royal  Visitor,  reversing  our  statutes,  will 
induce  me  to  abandon  a  tittle  of  my  rights,  in 
a  manner  that  would  degrade  myself  and  all  my 
successors.' 

To  this  stormy  epistle  the  Headmaster  returned 
a  gentle  answer,  pointing  out  that  he  had  regarded 
the  question  as  one  of  expediency  and  not  of  right, 
and  that  it  had  been  practically  impossible  to  con- 
sult the  Dean  before  deciding  on  the  matter,  which 
it  was  imperatively  necessary  to  settle  without  any 
delay. 

Gradually  the  conviction  grew  that  the  only  real 
remedy  for  the  school,  if  it  was  to  retain  its  ancient 
character  of  a  Boarding  school,  was  to  be  found 
in  its  removal  to  the  country.  Schemes  were  then 
discussed  by  which  such  a  fundamental  change 
might  be  carried  out.  Prince  Albert  gave  the 
assistance  of  his  warm  sympathy  and  co-operation, 
and  various  sites,  including  Cooper's  Hill  and  Caver- 
sham,  were  visited.  At  one  time  it  was  contemplated 
that  the  school  should  be  removed  at  the  public 
expense,  so  as  to  make  room  for  a  magnificent 
avenue  which,  beginning  at  Buckingham  Palace, 
should  end  at  the  Victoria  Tower,  the  Abbey 
standing  out  on  its  north  side.    But  there  were 


CH. IV] 


History  of  Rome 


121 


insuperable  difficulties  in  the  way  of  every  scheme  ; 
and  the  Public  Schools  Act  has  finally  settled  the 
question  of  the  retention  of  Westminster,  on  its 
existing  site,  as  a  great  London  school. 

The  Headmaster's  hands  were  always  full  of 
work.  In  addition  to  the  ordinary  burdens  and 
anxieties  of  his  post,  he  had  the  unending  task  of 
correcting  and  enlarging  the  Lexicon.  Moreover  he 
undertook  to  write,  for  Mr.  Murray,  a  History  of 
Ancietit  Rome.  This  work  was  first  published  in 
1855,  in  two  volumes.  It  was  soon  afterwards 
abridged  into  a  School  History,  and  in  this  form 
has  ever  since  retained  its  place  on  Mr.  Murray's 
list  as  '  The  Student's  History  of  Rome,  to  the 
Establishment  of  the  Empire.'  That  it  so  main- 
tains its  position,  though  it  has  never  been  revised 
or  brought  up  to  date  by  the  introduction  of  the 
results  of  modern  research  and  discoveries,  is  a  strong 
testimony  to  its  sterling  merits.  It  is  a  thoroughly 
useful  book  ^  well  illustrated,  well  arranged,  and 
admirably  written.  Mr.  Marshall  thus  speaks  of 
its  opportune  publication : 

'The  History  of  Rome  had  its  own  seasonable- 
ness.  Niebuhr  had  revolutionized  the  scheme  of 
Roman  History.  But  his  influence  had  nearly 
spent  itself.  Scholars  began  to  weary  of  disquisi- 
tions which,  however  learned,  acute,  and  brilliant, 
resulted  after  all  for  the  most  part  in  conjecture. 
They  craved  to  realize  the  full-blooded  life  of  the 

'  An  Italian  translation  of  the  larger  History  reached  its  sixth  edition 
as  long  ago  as  1886. 

R 


122    Headmastership  of  Westminster    [ch.  iv 


Roman  State  without  being  worried  by  perpetual 
suggestions  of  doubt  and  discussions  of  hypotheses. 
Mr.  Liddell's  history  came  opportunely  to  satisfy 
this  want.  He  did  what  could  only  be  done  by 
a  writer  of  historical  instinct  and  sound  judgment, 
who  was  saturated  with  knowledge  of  his  subject. 
He  gave  a  masterly  summary  of  what  was  ascer- 
tained respecting  the  original  races  which  coalesced 
in  the  Roman  people,  and  the  evolution  of  their 
not  less  complicated  political  system.  I  recollect 
the  pride  and  interest  which  I  felt  when  I  was 
allowed  to  read  the  MS.  of  the  chapter  which 
describes  the  Senate,  and  there  for  the  first  time 
found  a  clear,  concise,  yet  adequate  account  of 
the  constitution  and  functions  of  that  memorable 
assembly.' 

This  book  was  the  only  historical  work  that  came 
from  Liddell's  pen.  But  he  was  always  deeply 
interested  in  the  study  of  history ;  and  his  friends 
at  Oxford  had  been  anxious,  several  years  before, 
to  encourage  him  to  devote  himself  seriously  to  the 
subject.  In  1849  he  was  strongly  urged  to  apply 
for  the  Regius  Professorship  of  Modern  History, 
vacant  by  the  death  of  Dr.  Cramer.  From  his 
intimate  friend  J.  M.  Wilson,  who  had  succeeded 
him  as  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy,  he  received 
the  following  letter : 

'  My  dear  Liddell, 

'  I  passed  through  London  a  week  ago,  and 
was  sorry  to  hear  that  you  were  absent.  I  wished 
to  see  you,  having  a  strong  desire  that  you  should 


CH.  IV]  H.  Halford  Vaughan  123 


come  to  Oxford  as  Professor  of  Modern  History. 
Is  there  any  probability  of  this  ?  I  cannot  tell  you 
how  much  we  want  you  here.  I  am  certain  your 
being  here  (or  coming  among  us  as  Arnold  did) 
would  be  of  the  greatest  service  to  us.  I  should 
take  twice  the  interest  in  my  own  lectures  if  I  had 
any  one  to  speak  to  respecting  them,  but  I  have  no 
one.  Depend  upon  it  you  can  have  no  better  sphere 
of  work  than  Oxford  is  at  present,  and  your  coming 
would  be  life  to  not  a  few.  I  wish  I  could  induce 
you  to  make  application  for  the  Professorship.  I 
cannot  help  thinking  that  you  might  easily  procure 
it ;  and  the  railroad  would  make  coming  and  going 
easy. 

*  Very  truly  yours, 

'  J.  M.  Wilson.' 

He  felt  himself,  however,  quite  unable  to  act  on 
the  'Suggestion,  and  the  Professorship  was  accepted 
by  his  friend  H.  Halford  Vaughan,  whose  brilliant 
lectures  deservedly  attracted  very  large  audiences. 
They  are  now  so  completely  forgotten  that  it  may 
be  interesting  to  read  what  Liddell  wrote  about 
them  to  Vaughan  himself: 

'  I  hear  on  all  hands  the  hiohest  encomiums  on 
your  lectures.  Conybeare  of  Christ  Church,  for 
instance,  writes  me  word  that,  though  he  was  himself 
prevented  from  hearing  them,  "  he  has  talked  of 
them  with  many  clever  men  of  various  political 
views  and  has  only  heard  one  opinion  of  them." 
"  All,"  he  adds,  "  seem  struck  with  the  great  beauty 
of  the  language,  with  the  imagination  and  wide 
illustration,  as  well  as  the  philosophical  power  of 

R  2 


124    Headmastership  of  Westminster    [ch.  iv 


mind  shown  in  them."  "  Suggestive "  is  a  term 
popularly  applied  to  them.  There  is  also  a  general 
wish  as  well  as  (I  may  as  well  tell  you)  a  general 
expectation  to  see  at  least  your  first  two  lectures 
in  print.  People  say  they  want  to  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  reading  what  gave  them  so  much  pleasure 
in  the  hearing ;  and  some  did  not  go  to  hear^  in 
the  hope  that  they  should  be  able  to  read.  Unless 
}  Ou  have  some  reason  against  printing,  I  think  you 
would  gratify  many  persons  by  so  doing.  I  hear 
also  from  Conybeare  the  following,  which  agrees 
with  what  you  wrote  me  word  of,  viz.  "  the  large 
attendance  perhaps  frightened  some  of  the  Heb- 
domadal Board.  From  whatever  cause,  there  is 
an  agitation  carrying  on  by  Greswell  and  others 
against  the  Modern  History  School :  they  argue 
that  it  will  beat  Natural  Science  out  of  the  field, 
Daubeny  and  Acland  refuse  to  join  this  illiberal 
crusade  ".' 

In  a  short  sketch  of  Vaughan's  life  written  many 
years  later  Liddell  describes  the  lectures  as  well 
deserving  the  success  which  they  at  first  attained : 

'  He  read  me  portions  of  them  at  Hampstead, 
and  I  well  remember  a  most  graphic  picture  of 
the  household  of  William  the  Conqueror  and  his 
rollicking  sons.  But  before  long  he  got  tired  of 
the  work,  showed  great  caprice  and  irritability  in 
his  intercourse  with  his  friends  at  Oxford,  and 
finally  resigned  the  Professorship  into  the  hands 
of  Goldwin  Smith  in  1858. 

'  Vaughan's  personal  appearance  was  striking. 
His  features  were  large,  well-defined,  and  mobile, 
especially  his  eyes.    They  revealed  at  one  time 


CH.  IV]     First  University  Comjnissio7t  125 


bright  enjoyment  of  some  humorous  thought  or 
word,  or  admiration  of  some  strong  and  vigorous 
sentiment ;  at  another  time  they  were  fixed  on  you 
with  an  intensity  of  expression  that  seemed  to  pierce 
to  your  very  soul.  He  had  an  immense  "fell"  of 
rough  hair,  of  which  his  father  the  judge  once  said, 
"  To  my  certain  knowledge  the  masons  refused  to 
buy  Halford's  hair  to  mix  with  their  mortar ;  it  was, 
they  said,  too  coarse."  This  gave  a  sort  of  wild 
Olympian  character  to  his  head.' 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  say  much  about 
Liddell's  labours  on  the  first  Oxford  University 
Commission.  The  Commission  was  issued  under 
the  great  seal  in  August  1850,  and  held  its  first 
meeting  on  October  19  in  that  year.  The  Com- 
missioners were — S.  Hinds  (Bishop  of  Norwich), 
A.  C.  Tait  (Dean  of  Carlisle),  F.  Jeune  (Master  of 
Pembroke),  H.  G.  Liddell,  J.  L.  Dampier  (Vice- 
Warden  of  the  Stannaries),  Baden  Powell  (Savilian 
Professor  of  Geometry),  and  G.  H.  S,  Johnson 
(Fellow  of  Queen's).  The  Secretary  was  Arthur 
Stanley,  and  the  Assistant  Secretary  Goldwin  Smith. 
No  fewer  than  eighty-seven  meetings  were  held,  and 
from  only  one  of  these  was  Liddell  absent.  It  was 
through  their  work  together  on  this  Commission  that 
Liddell's  friendship  with  Stanley  ripened  into  that 
close  and  affectionate  intimacy  which  only  closed 
with  Stanley's  death. 

The  strain  of  this  work,  coming  as  an  addition 
to  his  duties  as  Headmaster,  was  lightened  by 
the  great  interest  which  he  took  in  the  question 


126    Headmastership  of  IVestminster    [ch.  iv 


of  University  Reform.  He  had  for  many  years 
been  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  remodelling  the 
constitution  of  the  University  by  getting  rid  of  the 
supremacy  of  the  Heads  of  Houses,  and  giving 
real  power  to  the  great  body  of  residents  engaged 
in  education.  Early  in  life  he  had  written  a 
pamphlet  on  the  subject ;  and  his  long  collegiate 
and  academical  experience  had  convinced  him  that 
the  unenlightened  and  even  reactionary  rule  of  the 
Hebdomadal  Board  made  all  improvement  at  their 
hands  impossible.  He  had  observed  the  action  of 
the  Heads  of  Houses  in  the  various  theological  con- 
troversies of  his  time,  and  had  had  ample  evidence  of 
its  unwisdom.  The  chief  reforms  recommended  by 
the  Commission  were — the  revival  of  the  Ancient 
House  of  Congregation,  upon  a  reformed  basis, 
as  an  effective  Legislative  body ;  a  reconstruction 
of  the  Professorial  system,  so  as  to  give  it  a  leading 
place  in  the  educational  machinery  of  the  University; 
the  relaxation  of  the  obligation  to  take  Holy  Orders 
as  a  condition  of  the  tenure  of  Fellowships ;  the 
removal  of  local  and  other  restrictions  on  the 
tenure  of  scholarships  and  Fellowships  ;  the  abolition 
of  the  distinction  between  Nobleman,  Gentleman 
Commoner,  and  Commoner ;  and  the  introduction 
of  a  new  class  of  students  not  belonging  to  any 
College  or  Hall. 

These  recommendations  were  the  result  of  pro- 
longed deliberations  ;  and  they  expressed  a  unanimity 
only  arrived  at  after  much  discussion.  In  a  letter 
to  Vaughan,  Liddell  writes  : 


CH.  IV]  Changes  recommended  127 


'  You  know  very  well  that  all  the  more  important 
of  these  recommendations  were  compromises,  and 
that  perhaps  not  one — certainly  not  myself — of  the 
Commissioners  would  wish  to  see  them  adopted 
exactly  as  they  stand.  But  the  spirit  and  tendency 
of  them  was  (I  think)  approved  by  all.' 

Mr.  Vaughan,  owing  to  his  position  as  Professor, 
and  his  long  intimacy  with  Liddell,  carried  great 
weight  with  the  Commissioners. 

'  Your  answers  formed  the  text  of  our  debates, 
and  I  carried  propositions  in  (general  terms  founded 
on  your  proposal  for  remodelling  Congregation  and 
the  Hebdomadal  Board.  Your  arguments  in  favour 
of  Lodging  Houses  told.' 

The  subsequent  changes  in  the  constitution  of 
the  University  as  embodied  in  the  Act  of  1854, 
and  the  Ordinances  of  the  several  Colleges,  were 
based  upon,  but  were  by  no  means  identical  with, 
the  recommendations  of  the  Commissioners. 

It  was  obvious  that  the  contemplated  alterations 
in  the  tenure  of  Fellowships  and  scholarships  would 
affect  materially  the  relations  existing  between  West- 
minster School  and  Christ  Church.  Ever  since 
Queen  Elizabeth's  time,  boys  had  been  elected  annu- 
ally from  the  College  at  Westminster  to  studentships 
at  Christ  Church ;  and  these  studentships  stood 
on  the  footing  of  Fellowships,  in  being  tenable  for 
life  subject  to  certain  conditions.  The  Commis- 
sioners recommended  that  the  studentships  should 
for  the  future  be  divided  into  two  classes,  corre- 
sponding to  Fellowships  and  scholarships  at  other 


128    Headmastership  of  Westminster  [ch.iv 


Colleges ;  and  that  a  certain  number  of  the  junior 
studentships  (or  scholarships)  should  be  set  apart 
for  Westminster  candidates,  and  should  be  tenable 
no  longer  for  life,  but  for  a  period  of  seven  years. 
This  change  would  alter  the  whole  status  of  the 
Westminster  students.  It  was  not  likely  that  so 
radical  a  proposal  would  be  welcomed  at  the  school 
or  at  Christ  Church.  Indeed,  among  all  the  Oxford 
potentates,  Dean  Gaisford  had  stood  alone,  if  not 
in  irreconcilable  hostility  to  the  Commissioners,  cer- 
tainly in  contemptuous  disregard  of  them.  '  From 
the  Dean  of  Christ  Church,'  says  the  report,  '  alone 
of  all  the  Heads  of  Colleges,  no  answer  was  received 
to  any  of  the  communications  of  the  Commission.' 

When  Liddell  was  appointed  Commissioner  he 
deemed  it  an  act  of  courtesy  to  write  to  Gaisford 
and  acquaint  him  of  the  fact.  The  reply  was 
somewhat  chilling^ : 

*  My  dear  Sir, 

'  Though  you  desire  me  to  refrain  from 
acknowledging  your  letter,  I  must  write  shortly  to 
say  that  I  can  express  no  opinion  as  to  the  propriety 
of  your  accepting  the  office  of  Commissioner  in 
the  projected  visitation  of  the  University  ;  but  as 
to  the  Commission  itself  I  feel,  in  common  with 
almost  every  one  both  at  Oxford  and  Cambridge, 
that  it  is  a  measure  which  can  be  productive  of  no 
good,  and  may  eventually  breed  discord  and  disunion, 
and  destroy  the  independence  of  those  bodies. 

'  I  am,  yours  faithfully, 

'  T.  Gaisford.' 


CH.  IV]  Illness  at  JVestminster  129 


The  changes  in  the  constitution  of  Christ  Church, 
inckiding  the  alteration  in  the  tenure  of  the  West- 
minster studentships,  did  not  take  effect  till  1858. 
Indeed,  owing  to  unexpected  delay  in  the  sealing  of 
the  Ordinance,  the  boys  chosen  from  Westminster  in 
that  year  were,  to  their  surprise  and  delight,  elected 
on  the  ancient  footing,  and  were  the  very  last  to  be 
inscribed  on  the  venerable  roll  of 'Students  of  Christ 
Church,*  as  it  had  existed  from  the  time  of  King 
Henry  VIII. 

The  domestic  life  of  the  Headmaster,  which  had 
begun  so  brightly,  was  not  without  its  sorrows  and 
anxieties.  The  terrible  fever  of  1848  has  been 
already  mentioned.  In  1853  came  scarlet  fever: 
two  of  his  children  suffered  from  it,  and  with  his 
second  son,  a  child  nearly  three  years  old,  it  proved 
fatal.  He  died  on  November  27.  The  trouble  was 
the  greater,  because  Mrs.  Liddell  was  not  allowed  to 
share  in  the  nursing  of  her  child,  or  indeed  to  be  near 
him.  The  doctors  had  insisted  on  her  absence.  So 
the  burden  of  the  trial  fell  on  Liddell  himself,  and  he 
shared  by  day  and  night  the  labours  of  the  nurse. 

*  Nothing  can  be  done,'  he  writes  to  his  mother, 
'  but  to  support  nature  and  trust  in  God.  He  has 
so  far  taken  his  food  very  well,  and  if  he  continues 
to  do  so  we  may  continue  to  hope.' 

Of  his  wife  he  says  : 

'  She  must  not  come  near  our  dear  angelic  little 
child.  I  can  call  him  by  no  other  name — so  good 
and  patient  and  gentle  he  is.    I  am  sitting  by  him 

S 


130   Headmastership  of  JVestminster    [ch.  iv 


now,  while  the  nurse  goes  out  to  get  a  little  air,  and 
every  quick-drawn  breath  goes  to  my  heart.  One 
does  not  know  how  one  loves  them,  till  a  time  like 
this  comes.' 

To  H.  H.  Vaughan,  he  wrote  later: 

'  My  presentiments  were  too  just.  On  Sunday 
the  27th,  just  a  week  after  you  saw  me,  my  dear, 
dear  little  boy  died.  It  was  a  miserable  week,  each 
day  bringing  many  alternations  of  hope  and  fear.  I 
buried  him  on  Wednesday,  and  resumed  my  labours. 
But  I  was  so  worn  out  by  watching  and  anxiety, 
added  to  my  usual  work,  that  I  fell  ill  on  Saturday ; 
and,  though  I  am  much  better  to-day,  they  have 
said  that  I  must  leave  town,  and  remain  quiet  for  a 
few  days  at  least.  My  wife  is  not  allowed  to  return 
home.  One  of  the  other  children  has  had  the  same 
direful  disease,  but  (thank  God)  favourably.  The 
other  two  are  well.' 

To  Acland  he  wrote  just  afterwards  from  Tan- 
hurst,  a  house  on  Leith  Hill  kindly  lent  by  Mr. 
Justice  Vaughan  Williams,  father  of  the  present 
Lord  Justice : — 

'  I  cannot  even  yet  believe  that  we  shall  never 
see  again  on  earth  his  fair  face  with  those  gentle 
bright  blue  eyes  and  silken  hair.  A  more  healthy 
strong  child  never  was.  A  more  docile  obedient 
child  never  was.  I  hardly  can  remember  when 
it  was  necessary  to  speak  a  second  time.  His 
winning  pretty  ways  are  stamped  in  our  memories, 
I  believe,  for  ever.  His  thoughtful  happy  dis- 
position made  him  the  favourite  wherever  we  went ; 
and  I  verily  believe  the  grief  of  my  father  and 


CH.  IV]  Appointment  to  Ch.  Ch.  Deanery  131 


mother  is  hardly  inferior  to  our  own.  You  will 
pardon  these  babblings  of  fondness.  But  I  watched 
him  alone  through  that  dreadful  illness,  and  it 
relieves  me  to  write  so  to  those  who  can  and  will, 
I  know,  feel  with  me.' 

Those  who  were  then  at  the  school  will  remember 
how  the  boys  shared  in  their  Headmaster's  sorrow, 
and  how  touchingly  he  thanked  them,  when  they 
spontaneously  requested  that  the  annual  Play,  for 
which  all  preparations  had  been  made,  should  not 
take  place. 

The  burden  of  responsibility,  and  the  conviction 
of  the  impossibility  of  raising  the  school  to  a  high 
level  in  numbers  and  prestige,  so  long  as  it  remained 
in  London,  disposed  him,  in  1854,  to  seek  some 
other  sphere  of  work  ;  and  he  was  near  to  accepting 
the  Mastership  of  Sherburn  Hospital  in  the  county 
of  Durham.  But  happily  no  such  retirement  was 
necessary.  On  June  2,  1855,  Dean  Gaisford  died, 
and  there  was  scarcely  a  doubt  that  Liddell  would 
be  his  successor.  He  first  received  definite  news 
of  the  appointment  in  the  following  letter  from  his 
old  pupil  the  present  Earl  of  Wemyss,  then  Lord 
Elcho. 

June  6,  1855. 

'  My  dear  Dean, 

'  I  went  to  Lord  Palmerston  this  morning,  to 
urge  your  appointment.  He  told  me  that  he  had 
heard  so  much  in  your  favour,  that  he  had  taken 
the  Queen's  pleasure  about  it  the  day  before  yester- 
day, but  that  his  time  had  been  so  fully  occupied 

s  2 


132    Headmastership  of  IVestminster    [ch.  iv 

yesterday,  that  he  had  not  had  time  to  write  to  you. 
Upon  my  asking  him  if  /  might  announce  this  to 
you,  he  begged  of  me  to  do  so,  as  it  would  save 
his  writing  to  ask  you  to  call  upon  him  to-morrow 
morning  at  11.30,  at  which  hour  he  wishes  to  see 
you.  He  added,  in  his  jocose  manner,  "you  may 
tell  him  likewise,  that  I  hope  he  will  excuse  my 
having  named  him  to  the  Queen,  without  having 
previously  obtained  his  consent."  I  can  assure  you 
that  nothing  could  have  given  me  greater  pleasure 
than  to  be  thus  the  means  of  communicatingr  in- 
telligence  so  pleasing  to  my  old  tutor  and  friend. 
I  rejoice  most  sincerely  at  your  appointment,  as  I 
feel  confident  that  in  your  hands  Christ  Church 
will  hold  out  every  possible  inducement  to  us  to 
send  our  sons  there,  in  the  full  confidence  that  you 
will  turn  them  out  gentlemen  and  useful  members  of 
society. 

'  Yours  ever, 

'  Elcho.' 

Then  came  the  hurry  of  the  remaining  weeks  of 
the  Summer  Term,  and  at  last  the  leave-taking. 
Those  who  were  then  boys  at  the  school  will  recall 
the  presentation  in  the  big  schoolroom  of  the 
silver  vase  which  was  their  parting  gift,  and  the 
addresses  read  by  the  captain  of  the  Queen's  Scholars 
and  the  head  Town  Boy — addresses  which  Liddell 
afterwards  carefully  docketed,  and  preserved  to  the 
end  of  his  life  among  his  most  treasured  papers — 
and  then  the  supper  at  the  Headmaster's  house. 
There  was  genuine  sorrow  in  saying  Farewell :  for 
the  boys  were  very  proud  of  their  splendid  Head- 


CH.  IV]        Farewell  io  PVesfminsler  133 


master ;  and  Mrs.  Liddell  had  endeared  herself  in  a 
thousand  ways  to  the  whole  school,  having  taken 
a  kindly  interest  in  all  their  doings.  The  actors  in 
the  annual  Play  owed  her  a  special  debt  of  gratitude 
for  the  pains  and  taste  which  under  the  guidance  of 
Sir  Charles  Newton  she  had  expended  upon  the 
due  arrangement  of  their  classical  dresses  ;  and  those 
of  them  who  had  acted  female  parts,  for  the  lessons 
she  had  taught  them  as  to  their  gait,  restraining 
their  stride  within  feminine  limits,  and  teaching 
them  the  management  of  their  arms.  To  many  of 
those  then  present  it  was  a  parting  for  life,  but 
some  looked  forward,  in  just  confidence  and  with 
delightful  anticipations,  to  a  renewal  of  the  friend- 
ship before  long  within  the  walls  of  Christ  Church. 


CHAPTER  V 

DEANERY  OF  CHRIST  CHURCH,  1855-9I 

*  I  WISH  I  could  convey  to  you  the  cheer  which 
followed  the  announcement  by  Lord  Palmerston 
of  your  appointment  in  the  House.  It  said  more 
than  I  can  say,  and  would  have  gratified  you,  I  am 
sure.'  These  words  of  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Commons  expressed  a  feeling  very  generally  shared 
by  all  who  were  interested  in  the  welfare  of  Oxford, 
and  especially  in  the  welfare  of  Christ  Church. 
The  distinguished  career  and  European  reputation 
of  the  new  Dean,  and  the  important  services  which 
he  had  lately  rendered  to  the  cause  of  University 
Reform,  made  his  appointment  not  only  obvious 
and  proper,  but  also  very  widely  acceptable.  At 
Christ  Church  itself,  however,  there  prevailed  an 
old-fashioned  conservatism,  which  had  regarded  with 
dislike  and  apprehension  the  changes  recommended 
by  the  Commission,  and  which  dreaded  the  ex- 
perience of  the  rule  of  one  who  had  been  a  prominent 
member  of  that  body. 

'  The  expectation  of  us  all,'  writes  the  Bishop  of 
Gibraltar,  '  but  I  cannot  say  the  hopes,  were  fixed 
upon  the  able  and  distinguished  Headmaster  of 


The  Chapter  of  Christ  Church  135 


Westminster.  Many  of  us  at  that  time  were  strong 
conservatives  as  regards  the  affairs  of  Christ  Church, 
and  httle  wished  to  have  one  who  was  a  Hberal,  and 
had  been  an  influential  member  of  the  University 
Commission,  to  be  our  ruler.  Moreover,  he  was 
personally  unknown  to  all  but  the  seniors.' 

It  speaks  well  for  them  and  for  him  that  he 
received  a  generous  and  courteous  welcome  from  all 
the  residents,  and  entered  upon  his  new  office  amid 
every  expression  of  cordial  goodwill.  The  Sub- 
Dean,  Archdeacon  Clerke,  kindly  offered  the  use  of 
his  house  while  the  Deanery  was  being  prepared 
for  its  new  occupants.  The  Chapter  of  that  time 
comprised  many  distinguished  men,  but  representing 
very  different  opinions,  and  various  types  of  Church- 
manship.  The  Sub-Dean  had  been  chaplain  to 
Bishop  Bagot,  and  was  a  delightful  example  of  the 
courteous,  old-fashioned,  tolerant  Churchman,  just 
touched  by  the  Oxford  Movement,  but  cautious  in 
accepting  its  lead.  He  was  now  serving  Bishop 
Wilberforce  as  faithfully  as  he  had  served  his  pre- 
decessor, but  probably  with  some  bewilderment  of 
mind.  Next  to  the  Sub-Dean,  though  much  his 
senior  in  years,  came  Dr.  Barnes,  then  in  venerable 
old  age.  He  had  been  appointed  to  a  studentship 
sixty-five  years  before,  had  filled  the  various  college 
offices,  had  been  a  Canon  since  18 10,  and  during 
the  great  war  had  served,  from  1796  to  1802,  as 
Major  of  the  University  Volunteers.  Dr.  Pusey,  the 
Regius  Professor  of  Hebrew,  had  been  Canon  since 
1828.    He  was  at  the   height  of  his  influence, 


136 


Deanery  of  Christ  Church 


[CH.  V 


and  brought  the  weight  of  long  experience  and 
high  academical  position,  in  addition  to  his  unique 
ecclesiastical  authority,  as  a  force  to  be  reckoned  with 
in  all  matters  relating  to  reform  at  Christ  Church. 
Dr.  Bull,  the  Treasurer,  enjoyed,  in  addition  to 
his  Christ  Church  preferment,  another  Canonry  at 
Exeter,  a  Prebendal  Stall  at  York,  and  the  delightful 
Vicarage  of  Staverton,  Northants,  his  usual  summer 
residence  ^.  He  had  been  Tutor  and  Censor  in 
bygone  days,  was  a  courtly  gentleman,  a  refined 
scholar,  and  a  shrewd  man  of  business.  Dr.  J  elf, 
who  had  been  Tutor  to  the  King  of  Hanover,  was 
Principal  of  King's  College,  and  much  occupied  in 
his  London  duties.  He  was  a  kindly,  reasonable, 
and  friendly  man.  Dr.  Jacobson  was  the  Regius 
Professor  of  Divinity.    His  opinions  were  definitely 

'  Dr.  Bull's  preferments  are  summed  up  in  a  once  well-known 
epigram : — 

'  In  a  coach  with  Will  Whip,  ere  the  use  of  the  Rail, 
To  Town  I  once  travelled;  and  inside  the  Mail 
Sat  a  Canon  of  Exeter ;  on  the  same  perch 
Sat  a  Canon  of  Oxford's  Episcopal  Church. 
Next  came  one  who  held  (I  own  the  thing's  small) 
In  the  Minster  of  York  a  Prebendal  Stall ; 
And  last  came  a  Vicar  all  comely  and  fair. 
With  a  Vicarage  snug  and  some  hundreds  a  year. 
Now  good  reader  you'll  think  that  the  coach  was  quite  full — 
No,  there  was  but  one  traveller.  Dr.  John  Bull ! ' 

An  old  Christ  Church  student  may  perhaps  venture  to  express  his 
dislike  of  the  modern  fashion  of  addressing  members  of  our  Chapter 
as  '  Canon '  so  and  so.  A  title  of  very  indefinite  and  often  of  infini- 
tesimal value  thus  takes  the  place  of  a  specially  honourable  designation  ; 
for  it  has  been  customary  for  the  University  to  confer  the  degree  of 
D.D.  upon  Canons  of  Christ  Church  by  Decree  of  Convocation.  Dr. 
Pusey  was  never  called  '  Canon '  Pusey. 


CH.  v]  Powers  of  the  Dean  and  Chapter  137 

liberal,  and  in  favour  of  University  Reform.  Dr. 
Ogilvie,  the  Regius  Professor  of  Pastoral  Theology, 
had  been  chaplain  to  Archbishop  Howley,  and  asso- 
ciated, in  far  distant  times,  as  Tutor  of  Balliol,  with 
the  radical  changes  which  created  the  greatness  of 
that  college.  He  was  now  quite  without  enthusiasm 
for  reform,  and  inclined  to  resent  all  novelties.  Dr. 
Heurtley,  the  junior  member  of  the  Chapter,  was  the 
Margaret  Professor  of  Divinity,  a  gentle,  holy  man, 
of  the  old  evangelical  school,  not  without  strong 
conservative  convictions,  but  never  unmindful  of 
Christian  charity. 

It  was  a  heterogeneous  body:  with  none  of  its 
members,  except  Dr.  Jacobson,  was  the  new  Dean 
likely  to  be  in  warm  sympathy.  Yet  to  the  Dean 
and  Chapter  then  belonged  the  whole  government 
of  Christ  Church  ;  the  students  had  absolutely  no 
power  or  authority.  Though  the  Censors  and 
Tutors  were  responsible  for  the  discipline  and  the 
tuition  of  the  undergraduates,  they  were  without 
a  voice  in  all  questions  relating  to  the  property  or 
the  general  administration  of  the  House.  The  Dean 
and  Chapter  were  the  sole  governors.  As  an  illus- 
tration of  the  subordinate  position  then  occupied  by 
the  students,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the  High 
Table  on  the  dais  in  the  Dining  Hall,  at  which 
the  Dean  and  Canons  sat  twice  a  year  upon  the 
annual  *  Gaudy '  days,  was  habitually  occupied  not 
by  the  Tutors,  but  by  the  undergraduate  noblemen, 
or  '  Tufts,'  who  ranked  as  Doctors,  and  thus  sat 
daily  above  their  preceptors  at  their  common  meal. 

T 


138        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  v 

It  was  a  strange  survival  from  the  sixteenth  century, 
and  was  not  hkely  to  endure  much  longer.  In 
relating  the  story  of  Dean  Liddell's  rule,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  note  briefly  the  inevitable  changes  by 
which  the  educational  staff  obtained  their  proper 
position  in  the  government  of  their  College. 

The  old  pre-eminence  of  Christ  Church  in  the 
Honours  Schools  had  not  been  maintained  in  recent 
years,  and  the  new  Dean  was  likely  to  have  an  up- 
hill task  in  once  more  establishing  it.  DeanGaisford 
had  not  given  much  encouragement  to  competition 
by  members  of  the  House  for  academical  dis- 
tinctions, though  he  was  a  steady  and  strenuous 
supporter  of  all  good  work  done  by  them  within  its 
walls  ;  and  his  profound  scholarship  and  untiring 
industry  could  not  but  make  a  deep  impression  on 
all  the  abler  men  who  came  under  his  influence.  He 
had  been  in  many  respects  a  great  ruler,  strong  in 
sturdy  independence  and  simple  straightforwardness ; 
his  authority  was  undisputed,  and  on  the  whole  he 
had  guided  the  fortunes  of  Christ  Church  with 
dignity  and  success.  But  kind  as  he  was  at  heart, 
he  was  not  distinguished  for  urbanity  of  demean- 
our : — an  epigram  used  to  contrast  him  with  his 
contemporary,  the  courtly  Warden  of  All  Souls  : 

Gaisford  and  Sneyd  each  other's  lectures  seek, 
The  one  learns  manners,  and  the  other  Greek. 

The  story  of  his  appointment  to  the  Greek  Chair 
illustrates  this  characteristic,  and  may  be  given  in 
Liddell's  words : 

*  In  1810,  Gaisford  had  published  an  edition  of 


CH.  v]     Gaisford  and  the  Greek  Chair  139 


the  Grammarian  Hephaestion,  which  established  his 
reputation  as  one  of  the  chief  Greek  scholars  of  the 
day.  In  the  next  year,  the  Professorship  of  Greek 
became  vacant  by  the  promotion  of  William  Jackson 
to  the  Bishopric  of  Oxford.  The  choice  of  his 
successor  lay  between  Elmsley  and  Gaisford.  Dean 
Jackson  had  retired  from  his  high  office  to  seclusion 
in  the  village  of  Felpham,  near  Chichester.  But  he 
was  still  consulted  by  Lord  Grenville  (the  Chancellor) 
and  other  great  men  in  London  on  all  Oxford 
appointments.  There  could  be  no  doubt  as  to 
which  of  the  two  distinguished  scholars  would  have 
his  recommendation.  The  old  Dean  did  not  hesitate 
to  put  Gaisford  forward.  He  sent  for  his  former 
pupil  to  Felpham,  told  him  to  get  a  copy  of  his 
Hephaestion  bound  in  the  best  style,  and  to  send  it 
with  a  letter,  which  he  dictated  himself,  to  Lord 
Grenville.  He  obeyed,  and  in  due  course  received 
from  his  Lordship  the  gratifying  information  that  the 
Prince  Regent  had  been  pleased  to  place  the  Regius 
Professorship  at  his  disposal.  The  story  went  that 
he  replied — not  this  time  from  the  dictation  of  Cyril 
Jackson  : 

"  My  Lord, — I  have  received  yours,  and  accede 
to  the  proposal.  Yours, 

"  T.  Gaisford." 

'He  held  the  office  till  his  death  in  1855,  and 
justified  his  appointment  by  the  various  excellent 
editions  of  Greek  authorities  which  he  published. 
He  never  gave  lectures.' 

Dean  Liddell  adds : 

'  I  had  been  recommended  by  Lord  Palmerston  to 
succeed  Gaisford  in  the  Deanery  of  Christ  Church. 

T  2 


140 


Deanery  of  Christ  Church 


[CH.  V 


Who  was  to  succeed  to  the  Professorship  ?  I  remem- 
ber that  Charles  Clifford  of  All  Souls  was  deputed  by 
the  Prime  Minister  to  consult  me  about  it.  "  Won't 
you  take  it  yourself,"  he  asked,  "  and  relieve  us  of 
all  further  trouble  ? "  I  declined  the  offer,  partly 
because  I  knew  there  were  better  Greek  scholars 
than  myself  in  the  University,  partly  because  I 
thought  it  inexpedient  that  the  Professorship  should 
be  attached  to  the  Headship  of  a  College.  "  Well 
then,"  Clifford  said, "  you  must  see  Lord  Palmerston, 
and  tell  him  who  you  think  ought  to  be  appointed." 
Consequently  I  was  summoned  to  an  interview  with 
Lord  Palmerston,  and  mentioned  several  names — 
Scott,  Newton,  and  Jowett.  As  to  Scott,  I  said 
there  was  (in  part)  the  same  objection  that  I  felt  in 
my  own  case  ;  he  was  Head  of  a  College.  Newton 
and  Jowett  were,  I  thought,  both  of  them  inferior  to 
him  in  Greek  Scholarship.  But  Newton  had  earned 
a  high  reputation  in  one  department  of  Greek 
literature — in  inscriptions — a  department  which  had 
hitherto  received  scanty  encouragement  in  Oxford, 
and  I  thought  this  gave  him  a  strong  claim.  "  Oh 
yes,"  said  Lord  Palmerston,  "  I  know  that  man ;  ask 
him  whether  he  will  accept."  I  did  so  ;  but  Newton 
was  unable  to  relinquish  his  post  at  the  British 
]\Iuseum  for  a  Professorship  which  was  at  that  time 
worth  only  ^40  a  year  paid  by  Christ  Church.  In 
the  end  Jowett  was  appointed.  As  Professor,  he 
devoted  himself  chiefly  to  the  task  of  familiarizing 
English  readers  with  the  master  works  of  Greek 
philosophy,  or  providing  what  Mark  Pattison  ir- 
reverently and  wrongly  called  "cribs."  His  trans- 
lations of  Plato  and  Thucydides  are  masterly 
transfusions  of  Greek  thought  and  language  into 


CH.  v]        Reforms  at  Christ  Church  141 

English.  They  may  be  read  as  if  they  had  been 
originally  written  in  the  vernacular  tongue.' 

It  is  interesting  to  add  that,  in  1893,  when  the 
Greek  Chair  was  again  vacant,  some  correspondence 
with  reference  to  Jowett's  successor  passed  between 
Mr.  Gladstone  and  Dr.  Liddell,  who  was  then,  like 
Cyril  Jackson  in  181 1,  living  in  dignified  retirement, 
in  a  quiet  country  home. 

The  first  important  question  which  the  new  Dean 
had  to  face  was  the  reform  of  the  constitution  of 
Christ  Church  in  accordance  with  the  recommenda- 
tions of  the  Royal  Commission.  The  Commission 
had  clearly  pointed  out  the  evil  arising  from  the 
close  system  of  nomination  to  studentships  by  the 
Dean  and  Canons,  from  the  inadequate  emoluments 
of  the  students,  and  from  the  absence  of  all  participa- 
tion by  them  in  the  government  of  the  House  and 
the  management  of  its  property. 

*  At  Christ  Church,'  says  the  report, '  the  students, 
those  from  Westminster  excepted,  are  nominated  by 
the  Dean  and  Canons  in  turn,  the  Dean  having  two 
turns.  It  is  true  indeed  that  many  of  these  dignitaries, 
especially  the  Dean,  have  taken  pains  to  make 
creditable  appointments ;  but  it  is  notorious  that 
studentships  are  often  given  as  a  matter  of  favour, 
and  that  the  relations  or  friends  of  Canons  are  likely 
to  be  preferred. 

'  The  Dean  and  Canons  have  only  to  surrender 
their  patronage,  and  to  invite  the  best  scholars  in 
England  to  compete  for  their  studentships.  .  .  .  The 
studentships  should  be  divided  into  two  classes, 


142 


Deanery  of  Christ  Church 


[CH.  V 


corresponding  to  the  fellowships  and  scholarships 
of  Colleges.  Means  should  be  found  to  increase 
the  value  of  the  studentships,  especially  the  senior 
studentships,  in  order  to  enable  Christ  Church  to 
compete  fairly  with  other  Colleges.  It  is  not  unreason- 
able to  expect  that  something  should  be  done  by  the 
Chapter,  whose  own  income  is  very  large,  if  not 
while  the  present  vested  rights  subsist,  yet  on  the 
occurrence  of  vacancies.' 

The  Commissioners  proceed  to  suggest  the  sup- 
pression, for  this  purpose,  of  the  two  canonries 
unconnected  with  professorships  ;  the  suspension  of 
election  to  twenty  studentships  pending  the  settle- 
ment of  the  new  Ordinance ;  and  the  reservation 
of  a  definite  proportion  of  junior  studentships  for 
Westminster  School. 

The  Ordinance  of  1858,  which  effected  the  first 
change  in  the  ancient  foundation  of  King  Henry  VIII, 
was  framed  on  these  lines.  The  Dean  and  Canons 
were  still  to  be  the  sole  governing  body,  the  sole 
administrators  of  the  property  ;  but  in  place  of  the 
large  body  of  students  appointed — except  the  West- 
minster men — by  a  system  of  private  nomination, 
there  were  now  created  twenty-eight  senior  student- 
ships and  fifty-two  junior  studentships,  twenty-one 
of  the  latter  to  be  connected  with  Westminster 
School.  All  the  rest,  both  senior  and  junior,  were 
thrown  open  to  public  competition.  The  senior 
students  would  rank  as  fellows  of  Colleges — but 
without  the  real  position  and  authority  of  fellows — 
the  junior  students,  as  scholars.    The  Canonries 


CH.  V] 


Ordinance  of  18^8 


143 


were  reduced  from  eight  to  six.  In  order  to  ensure 
an  effective  and  impartial  electoral  Board,  the  election 
of  students,  whether  senior  or  junior,  was  placed  in 
the  hands  of  the  Dean,  six  Canons,  and  the  six  senior 
members  of  the  Educational  Staff.  Thus,  for  the 
first  time,  the  students  had  equal  powers  with  the 
Canons  in  this  important  matter  ;  and  the  system 
of  private  nomination  was  abolished  for  ever.  But 
the  appointment  of  the  College  Officers  (Censors 
and  Readers)  still  rested  with  the  Dean  and  Canons  ; 
and  their  authority,  in  all  matters  connected  with  the 
property  of  the  College,  was  in  no  respect  curtailed. 

This  change  effected  an  important  and  most  salu- 
tary reform.  But  it  was  naturally  unpalatable,  for 
various  reasons,  to  many  of  the  Canons.  The  pro- 
posals of  the  Commissioners  were  often  and  fully 
considered  at  Chapter  meetings,  but  unanimity  did 
not  prevail.  Towards  the  close  of  their  discussions, 
Dr.  Pusey  saw  the  uselessness  of  offering  further 
resistance. 

'  I  shall  not  write  to  the  Commissioners,'  he  told 
the  Dean,  '  a  single  voice  will  not  be  heard  by 
unwilling  ears.  I  have  done  what  I  could  towards 
retaining  the  old  Christ  Church.  Fziit  Ilnini.  The 
Commissioners,  with  yourself  and  Dr.  Jacobson,  will 
be  responsible  for  the  new,  I  shall  be  very  glad 
if  the  Commissioners'  plan  should  work  better  than 
I  hope  of  it.  .  .  .  The  Act  has  deluded  us  with 
a  show  of  power  of  negativing  propositions  which 
we  think  disadvantageous  to  the  College.  I  shall 
not  keep  up  an  ineffectual  struggle,  though  I  must 
think  that  we  have  been  treated  ill.' 


144        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  v 


The  Dean  replied : 

'  With  regard  to  the  Ordinance,  it  is  matter  for 
difference  of  opinion.  Old  Christ  Church  is,  so  far 
as  I  can  see,  in  a  state  of  decay,  and  must  (if  not 
restored)  fall  into  decrepitude.  The  measure  pro- 
posed for  restoring  it  may  be  good  or  bad.  It  can 
hardly  reduce  it  lower  than  it  is.  Neither  you  nor 
I  may  see  the  success  which  I  hope  for.  But  I  cheer- 
fully accept  the  responsibility.' 

That  success,  however,  was  only  partial.  The 
changes  then  effected  were  not  destined  to  be  final. 
It  was  not  likely  that  this  newly-created  body  of 
senior  students,  comprising  the  whole  educational 
staff  of  the  College,  and  recruited  yearly  by  the 
election  of  able  young  men  from  other  Colleges  who 
had  no  traditional  reverence  for  old  Christ  Church, 
would  acquiesce  in  holding  an  anomalous  position, 
immeasurably  inferior  to  that  of  fellows  elsewhere. 
It  was  inevitable  that  a  movement  should  soon 
begin  to  alter  the  status  of  the  students,  and  give 
them  a  recognized  place  in  the  administration  of  the 
corporate  property.  After  much  controversy,  and 
many  negotiations  between  the  Chapter  and  the 
students,  a  body  of  Referees  was  appointed  in 
February  1866,  who  were  to  decide  all  matters 
at  issue.  Archbishop  Longley  and  Sir  John  T. 
Coleridge  were  named  for  this  purpose  by  the 
Canons ;  Sir  Roundell  Palmer  by  the  Dean ;  Sir 
William  Page  Wood  and  the  Hon.  Edward  Twisleton 
by  the  students.  Their  recommendations  were  em- 
bodied in  an  Act  of  Parliament, '  The  Christ  Church 


CH.  V] 


Statutes  of  1882 


145 


Oxford  Act,'  which  was  passed  in  1867.  By  this 
Act  the  government  of  the  Foundation,  and  the 
disposal  and  management  of  its  possessions  and 
revenues,  were  vested  in  the  Dean,  Canons,  and 
Senior  Students.  Certain  powers  with  respect  to 
the  Cathedral  Church,  its  services  and  ministers, 
were  reserved  to  the  Dean  and  Chapter,  and  ample 
revenues  were  set  apart  for  a  Chapter  Fund.  The 
Act  made  careful  provisions  for  the  various  com- 
plications resulting  from  the  composite  nature  and 
divergent  interests  of  the  new  Governing  Body. 

'  The  Dean,'  writes  the  Bishop  of  Gibraltar,  '  had 
a  difficult  part  to  play,  as  he  was  head  of  both  the 
contending  parties.  That  the  revolution,  for  it  was 
no  less,  created  no  discord  or  ill-feeling  was  due 
in  a  large  measure  to  the  impartial  and  conciliatory 
attitude  which  he  took  throughout.' 

It  was  also  due — it  should  be  added — to  the 
generous  acceptance  by  the  Chapter  of  their  altered 
position. 

So  matters  remained  till  1877,  when  Oxford  was 
again  thrown  into  the  crucible,  and  the  Parliamentary 
Commission,  of  which  Lord  Selborne  was  chairman, 
made  drastic  changes  in  the  character  and  tenure 
of  College  emoluments.  Under  statutes  which 
became  law  in  1882,  the  names  of  'senior'  and 
'junior'  student  were  abolished;  the  latter  became 
scholars ;  the  former,  under  the  ancient  title  of 
students,  were  divided  into  two  classes,  official  and 
non-official,  with  different  conditions  of  election  and 
tenure. 

U 


146        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  v 


Such,  in  brief  outline,  were  the  successive  changes 
in  the  constitution  of  Christ  Church  which  Dean 
Liddell  witnessed,  and  for  which  he  was  largely 
responsible.  He  was  not  indeed  on  more  than 
one  Commission.  He  refused — though  pressed — 
to  serve  on  the  executive  Commission  which  followed 
upon  the  first,  for  the  purpose  of  framing  or  ap- 
proving the  new  Ordinances.  This  refusal  was 
chiefly  based  on  the  ground  that  it  would  be  un- 
desirable for  the  new  Dean,  just  entering  on  his 
office,  to  be  hampered  by  duties  which  would  have 
a  distinctly  party  character,  and  would  necessarily 
involve  much  unpleasant  controversy. 

'  The  more  I  think  of  it '  (he  writes  to  Vaughan) 
'  the  more  unwilling  I  am  to  begin  my  reign  at 
Oxford  conjointly  with  an  office  of  Commissioner. 
Is  no  one  else  to  be  found  ? ' 

In  1876  he  was  again  invited  to  serve  on  the 
Commission  which  Mr.  Disraeli's  Government  pro- 
posed to  issue,  and  to  allow  his  name  to  appear 
in  the  Bill  which  was  to  be  introduced  at  the 
beginning  of  the  session  of  1877.  He  was  then 
in  quite  an  altered  position  in  the  University.  He 
had  but  lately  served  for  four  years  as  Vice- 
Chancellor,  and  had  won  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  all  parties,  and  his  acceptance  of  office  would, 
as  he  was  assured  by  Lord  Salisbury,  '  singularly 
add  to  the  strength  of  the  Commission  and  the 
value  of  its  work.'  Lord  Salisbury's  invitation  was 
privately  backed  by  influential  members  of  his  party. 


CH.  v]     Improvements  at  the  Deanery  147 

'I  am  sure,'  wrote  Sir  John  Mowbray,  'your  ac- 
ceptance of  the  post  will  inspire  confidence  in  every 
quarter,  Conservative  and  Liberal.'  But  after  much 
consideration  the  Dean  declined  the  offer ;  mainly, 
it  is  believed,  on  the  ground  that  his  acceptance 
would  deprive  the  Commission  of  the  services  of  a 
distinguished  Oxford  man  who  had  more  leisure  than 
himself  for  the  task,  and  who  would,  in  the  Dean's 
judgment,  be  of  more  use  as  a  Commissioner.  No 
doubt  he  was  also  influenced  by  his  unwillingness 
to  embark  once  more,  at  the  age  of  66,  on  the  strife 
and  vexation  connected  with  University  reforms,  of 
which  he  had  already  had  his  full  share. 

Dean  Liddell's  name  will  be  for  long  associated 
with  the  buildings  of  Christ  Church.  On  becoming 
Dean  he  was  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  able  to  indulge 
his  artistic  tastes  on  an  adequate  scale,  and  without  the 
restrictions  which  had  hampered  him  at  Westminster. 
First,  of  necessity,  came  his  new  home,  the  Deanery. 
It  needed  many  alterations.  To  his  refined  taste  are 
due  the  panelling  and  decorations  of  drawing-room 
and  hall,  the  opening  out  of  the  long  gallery  on  the 
first  floor  as  an  additional  reception-room,  and 
the  construction  of  the  stately  staircase,  called  the 
'  Lexicon '  staircase,  because  its  cost  was  defrayed 
from  the  profits  on  that  book.  Much  delay  took  place 
before  the  Deanery  was  fit  for  occupation ;  a  fire 
at  Baker's  factory  in  Lambeth  destroyed  all  the  new 
woodwork  just  as  it  was  on  the  point  of  completion. 
However,  early  in  1856  the  work  was  almost  finished. 
On  February  12,  he  wrote  to  his  mother: 

u  2 


148        Deanery  of  Christ  Chtirch       [ch.  v 


'  As  I  sit  in  this  now  very  beautiful  house,  and 
admire  all  that  has  been  done,  I  feel  sensible  how 
worthless  it  all  would  be,  if  we  had  not  kind  parents 
and  kinsfolk  and  friends  to  join  us  in  admiration ; 
and  so  it  is  with  birthdays  and  all  that  brings  joy 
in  this  life.  .  .  .  Painters  and  paperers  still  linger, 
but  we  are  now  very  nearly  done,  and  hope  to  throw 
open  our  doors  for  an  evening  musical  party  next 
week.  They  are  intending  to  get  up  the  '  Macbeth ' 
music,  with  choruses,  some  glees,  and  other  music,  by 
the  help  of  some  of  the  young  men  and  some  ladies, 
if  they  are  not  too  prudish  to  join.  The  gallery 
will  be  a  good  place  for  sound,  forty-four  feet  long, 
opening  by  a  wide  archway  upon  the  stairs,  so  that 
a  great  number  may  be  present — not  to  mention 
the  drawing-room.  I  wish  you,  like  my  father,  had 
seen  the  house  before  it  was  done,  in  order  that  you 
might  appreciate  what  has  been  done.  We  have 
spent  all  my  father's  magnificent  present  upon  the 
sideboard,  which  I  hope  he  will  soon  come  to 
admire.  It  is  really,  I  think,  or  rather  will  be  (for 
it  is  not  finished),  most  beautiful.  I  have  not  yet 
got  anything  with  your  present  for  my  library,  for 
that  room  at  present  remains  untouched.' 

About  a  fortnight  later  he  adds  : 

'  The  house  is  all  but  finished,  and  now  nothing 
remains  but  the  pleasant  task  of  showing  it  to  our 
friends  and — paying  the  bills.  We  begin  with  two 
musical  evenings  on  Thursday  and  Saturday  next, 
without  any  dinner  parties.  All  the  College  will 
be  asked  on  the  two  nights,  and  all  whom  we  know 
among  Heads  of  Houses,  &c.,  are  asked.  We  very 
much  wish  you  could  all  be  here.  Yoii  could  sit 
and  hear  it  all  quietly  in  your  own  bed-room,  if  you 


CHRIST   CHURCH   CATHEDRAL  IN  1813. 

To  face  page  148. 


CH.  V] 


Chapel  m  old  days 


149 


did  not  feel  equal  to  venturing  into  such  a  crowd  ; 
for  what  will,  I  hope,  be  your  bed-room  opens  into 
the  gallery  where  the  music  will  be  performed.  So, 
about  8  o'clock  on  Thursday  evening,  think  of 
Madam  making  her  first  curtsey  at  the  head  of  her 
own  stairs  in  Oxford.  This  is  a  strange  place  for 
rumours.    It  has  been  reported  that  Mrs.  Liddell  is 

getting  up  private  theatricals,  and  that  Dr.  C  

permits  his  daughter  to  personate  one  of  the  witches, 
while  the  Dean  is  expected  to  represent  Macbeth ! ' 

Next  came  the  work  on  the  Cathedral ;  a  re- 
arrangement of  the  interior  urgently  needed,  but 
not  intended  to  be  final.  Not  till  seventeen  years 
later  was  an  adequate  restoration  of  the  building 
attempted.  But  the  over-crowding  of  the  con- 
gregation, who  were  confined  within  the  restricted 
space  of  the  choir  itself,  led  to  much  irreverence; 
and  some  alterations  were  imperatively  necessary. 
Old  Christ  Church  men  will  remember  the  daily 
scene  in  Chapel  in  those  ancient  days  ;  the  choir  cut 
off  from  the  body  of  the  Church  by  the  heavy  organ- 
screen  ;  and  within  its  narrow  limits  the  mob  of 
undergraduates  seated  on  rows  of  benches  which 
faced  westward,  and  crowded  up  against  the  altar 
rails ;  the  high  barrier  of  stalls  concealing  the  view 
of  the  choir  aisles  ^  ;  the  '  Prick  bills '  walking  up 

'  Keys,  the  Dean's  Verger,  was  stationed  at  the  entrance  to  the 
choir,  and  kept  a  stout  dog-whip  with  which  to  belabour  any  dogs 
which — as  not  unfrequently  happened — followed  their  masters  into 
Chapel.  Keys  lived  in  the  south  transept,  and  his  beer  store  was  in 
a  cupboard  just  below  the  pew,  on  the  north  side  of  the  choir,  in  which 
the  Deanery  ladies  sat.  Dog-whip  and  beer  were  both  summarily 
ejected  by  Dean  Liddell,  to  the  old  verger's  great  annoyance. 


150        Deanery  of  Christ  CImrch       [ch.  v 


and  down,  pricking  in  the  men  on  to  their  Hsts  as 
they  managed  to  identify  them  ;  the  singing  men  and 
boys,  on  '  SurpHce '  prayer-days,  bracketed  out  aloft 
under  the  shadow  of  the  Norman  arches,  the  men 
on  one  side,  the  boys  on  the  other ;  the  slovenly 
undevotional  service,  whether  English  Prayers  on 
Sundays  and  Holy  Days,  or  Latin  Prayers  on  other 
occasions,  when  the  sonorous  tones  of  Dean  Gaisford 
overpowered  the  responses  of  all  other  worshippers. 
Mr.  Ruskin  indeed  has  idealized  the  scene  in  his 
'  Praeterita,'  and  his  description  does  justice  to  his 
fine  imagination,  and  deserves  to  be  quoted : 

'  In  this  choir,  written  so  closely  and  consecutively 
with  indisputable  British  History,  met  every  morning 
a  congregation  representing  the  best  of  what  Britain 
had  become,  orderly,  as  the  crew  of  a  man-of-war, 
in  the  goodly  ship  of  their  temple.  Every  man  in 
his  place,  according  to  his  rank,  age,  and  learning ; 
every  man  of  sense  or  heart  there  recognizing  that 
he  was  either  fulfilling,  or  being  prepared  to  fulfil, 
the  gravest  duties  required  of  Englishmen.  A  well- 
educated  foreigner,  admitted  to  that  morning  service, 
might  have  learnt  and  judged  more  quickly  and 
justly  what  the  country  had  been,  and  still  had 
power  to  be,  than  by  months  of  stay  in  court  or 
city.  There,  in  his  stall,  sat  the  greatest  divine  of 
England — under  his  commandant  niche,  her  greatest 
scholar — amongst  the  tutors  the  present  Dean  Lid- 
dell,  and  a  man  of  curious  intellectual  power  and 
simple  virtue,  Osborne  Gordon.  The  group  of 
noblemen  gave,  in  the  Marquis  of  Kildare,  Earl 
of  Desart,  Lord  Emlyn,  and  Francis  Charteris,  now 


CH. v]  Riiskins  ^Christ  Church  Choir'  151 


Lord  Weniyss,  the  brightest  types  of  high  race  and 
active  power;  Henry  Acland  and  Charles  Newton 
among  the  senior  undergraduates,  and  I  among  the 
freshmen,  showed,  if  one  had  known  it,  elements 
of  curious  possibilities  in  coming  days.  None  of  us 
then  conscious  of  any  need  or  chance  of  change, 
least  of  all  the  stern  Captain,  who,  with  rounded 
brow  and  glittering  dark  eye,  led,  in  his  old  thunder- 
ous Latin,  the  responses  of  the  morning  prayer.' 

Nevertheless,  it  was  high  time  that  a  change 
should  be  made.  The  arrangement  of  the  interior, 
as  it  then  was,  dated  from  the  reign  of  Charles  I, 
when  Brian  Duppa  was  Dean,  and  the  seventeenth- 
century  woodwork  was  of  interesting  design  and 
worthy  of  preservation.  It  was  as  far  as  possible 
kept.  But  the  organ-screen  was  removed,  and  the 
organ  placed  on  the  floor  of  the  south  transept. 
The  stalls  of  the  Dean  and  Canons  were  shifted  to 
a  position  westward  of  the  third  bay  of  the  nave, 
so  that  almost  the  whole  length  of  the  church,  as 
it  then  existed,  was  made  use  of  for  service.  The 
seats  were  all  re-arranged,  and  the  lofty  barriers  at 
the  sides  of  the  choir  removed ;  the  choir  itself  was 
assigned  to  the  bulk  of  the  undergraduates,  the 
Censors  sitting  among  them  ;  the  Tutors  and  other 
graduates,  as  well  as  the  noblemen  and  gentlemen 
commoners,  sat  westward  of  the  transepts ;  and 
under  the  central  tower  were  placed  the  choristers. 
The  pulpit  occupied  almost  its  present  position,  and 
the  Vice-Chancellor's  throne  (now  relegated  to  the 
Latin  Chapel)  was  placed  opposite  to  it.  The 


152        Deanery  of  Christ  CImrch        [ch.  v 


sounding-board  of  the  pulpit  added  dignity  to  the 
episcopal  throne,  placed  below  the  altar-steps  on 
the  south  side.  It  is  stated  that  the  whole  of  this 
reconstruction  was  contrived  out  of  the  old  wood- 
work, none  of  it  being  removed  from  the  church, 
and  no  new  materials  introduced.  The  effect  as 
a  whole  was  good,  and  the  services  were  vastly  im- 
proved. More  care  was  taken  in  selecting  chaplains 
capable  of  intoning  their  part,  and  the  choristers 
were  diligently  trained  by  Dr.  Corfe,  the  organist. 
The  church  was  no  longer  a  by-word. 

Dr.  Corfe  was  at  this  time  sorely  plagued  by  one 
of  the  choirmen,  whose  '  alto '  singing  was  miserably 
bad.  He  came  to  the  Dean.  '  Mr.  Dean,  I  really 
cannot  have  that  man  singing  any  longer  :  he  spoils 
the  whole  choir.  If  only  he  sang  "bass,"  it  would 
not  so  much  matter  ;  but  such  an  "  alto  "  is  intoler- 
able.' '  Very  well,  Dr.  Corfe,'  said  the  Dean,  '  I 
will  deal  with  the  matter.'  So  the  choirman  was 
sent  for.  '  Dr.  Corfe  complains  of  your  singing,  and 
says  he  cannot  have  you  sing  "  alto "  any  longer ; 
but  that  it  would  not  be  so  bad  if  you  sang  "  bass." 
For  the  future,  therefore,  be  good  enough  to  sing 
"bass".'  'But,  Mr.  Dean,'  rejoined  the  man,  'I 
cannot  sing  "  bass ".'  '  Well,'  answered  Liddell, 
*  I  am  no  musician ;  but  sing  "  bass "  you  must. 
Good  morning.'  And  for  many  a  year  afterwards, 
as  can  be  but  too  well  remembered,  the  man  sang 
'  bass,'  till  he  was  finally  shelved. 

On  ordinary  week-days,  Latin  Prayers  were 
always  said  at  the  College  services.    They  were 


CH.  V] 


Latin  Prayers 


153 


not  abolished  till  the  end  of  1861,  when  the  present 
Bishop  of  Gibraltar  and  Dean  of  Durham  were 
Censors.  It  was  supposed  that  the  substitution  of 
English  for  Latin  would  encourage  devotion,  but 
it  is  doubtful  how  far  this  has  been  the  case ;  and 
certainly  there  was  a  loss  in  the  abandonment  of 
the  time-honoured  book  in  its  dingy  brown  binding, 
with  its  long  S's  that  led  the  unwary  astray  (one 
Chaplain  always  read  '  sumas '  as  '  fumas '  in  the 
Litany),  and  its  quaint  rendering  of  the  Psalms, 
some  verses  of  which  must  always  linger  in  the 
memory.  Who,  that  ever  heard  them,  does  not 
remember  the  Dean  and  Censors  repeating  with 
stentorian  voice  that  mysterious  verse  : 

'  Similisque  factus  sum  onocrotalo  gaudenti  solitudine,  ac  buboni 
agenti  in  locis  desertis  ; ' 

or  the  in  saecuia  saeculortim,  Amen,  rolled  out  in 
tones  which  made  them  sink  into  Lord  Dufferin's 
memory,  to  be  used,  some  years  afterwards,  as  the 
most  fitting  ending  for  his  famous  Latin  speech  in 
Iceland  ^  ? 

On  Sundays  and  Holy  Days  there  were  Surplice 
Prayers  ;  the  Holy  Communion  was  celebrated  once 
a  month  after  the  Choral  Matins :  its  proper  place, 
no  doubt,  but  involving  a  service  of  nearly  two  hours' 
length  before  breakfast.  College  sermons  were  not 
known ;  but  when  the  Dean  or  a  Canon  preached 
in  his  turn  before  the  University,  the  sermon  always 
took  place  at  Christ  Church  and  not  at  St.  Mary's. 
This  ancient  privilege  has  been  surrendered  since 

^  See  Letters  from  High  Latitudes,  ch.  vi.  p.  68. 
X 


154 


Deanery  of  Christ  Chiu'ch 


[CH.  V 


1869,  as  a  necessary  result  of  the  introduction  of  ten 
o'clock  service  with  sermon,  for  the  members  of  the 
House  and  for  the  general  public.  It  was  a  privilege 
for  which  Dean  John  Fell  contended  fiercely  in  1673, 
and  it  was  then  ordered,  after  reference  to  the  King 
and  Council,  'that  from  henceforth  every  Canon  of 
Christ  Church  should  {qiiatemcs  a  member  of  the 
University)  preach  at  St.  Mary's,  and  {^uatenus 
Canon)  at  Christ  Church.' 

This  rearrangement  of  the  church  was  carried 
out  under  the  Dean's  close  supervision,  with  the 
assistance  of  an  architect,  Mr.  Billing.  It  was  a 
thoroughly  congenial  task,  and  he  was  constantly 
engaged  in  it,  superintending  every  detail.  Even 
in  the  middle  of  August  he  was  found  in  Oxford, 
having  travelled  up  specially  from  Bamborough 
Castle  to  see  that  all  was  g-oing^  rig-ht. 

'  I  spent  the  greater  part  of  yesterday  morning ' 
(he  writes  on  August  17,  1856),  'in  the  church, 
going  through  all  small  details,  so  as  to  prevent, 
if  possible,  the  necessity  of  my  return.  But  it  is 
very  fortunate  that  I  came.  There  would  have 
been  several  enormous  blunders.  When  work  is 
going  on,  one  ought  always  to  be  on  the  spot.  The 
whole  really  will  look  very  well.  But  I  wish  you 
could  have  seen  it  when  it  was  quite  clear  and  open. 
They  have  begun  fixing  the  seats  now.' 

The  work  was  pressed  on,  so  as  to  be  finished 
before  the  re-assembling  of  the  College  in  October  ; 
but  the  Dean  was  not  allowed  to  witness  its  com- 
pletion.   On  September  30  came  the  beginning  of 


CHRIST  CHURCH   CATHEDRAL,  1856  1870. 

To  /ace  page  154. 


CH.  v]    Restoration  of  Cathedral  in  i8jo  155 


the  serious  illness  which  kept  him  away  from  Oxford 
for  many  months.  He  had  been  visiting  an  estate 
in  Leicestershire,  and  on  that  day  writes  to  his 
wife : 

'  I  renewed  my  cold  by  my  Market  Harboroiigh 
trip,  and  Acland  says  I  had  better  stay  in  bed.  It 
is  very  tiresome,  as  I  had  fully  calculated  upon 
being  up  to  welcome  you.  Nor  have  I  been  able 
to  superintend  the  finishing  of  the  church,  as  I 
desired.' 

These  improvements  in  the  interior  of  the  Cathe- 
dral were  intended  to  be  of  quite  a  temporary 
character.  They  had  not  been  costly,  had  been 
hastily  completed,  and  left  very  much  to  be  done 
when  a  favourable  opportunity  should  arise.  That 
opportunity  was  not  found  until  the  new  Governing 
Body  had  been  created  under  the  Ordinance  of  1867. 
It  was  of  happy  omen  for  the  future  relations  be- 
tween the  Chapter  and  the  students,  that  a  cordial 
acceptance  was  given  to  a  proposal  made  by  the 
senior  resident  student,  the  Rev.  T.  Chamberlain, 
for  the  appointment  of  a  Committee  to  confer  with 
the  Chapter  on  the  question  of  the  restoration  of  the 
Cathedral.  This  resolution  was  passed  in  March 
1868.  There  were  difficulties  to  be  faced  at  first; 
but  a  year  afterwards  matters  had  so  far  advanced 
that  Mr.  G.  Gilbert  Scott  was  asked  to  prepare 
plans  and  estimates.  An  appeal  for  funds  was  next 
made  to  the  general  body  of  Christ  Church  men. 
The  Governing  Body  subscribed  1,000  from  their 
corporate  funds ;    the  Chapter,  a  like  sum  from 

X  2 


156        Deanery  of  Christ  Clmrch       [ch.  v 


the  Chapter  Fund ;  the  Dean  promised  a  private 
subscription  of  ;^500  ;  and  the  other  residents  gave 
according  to  their  means  or  inclinations.  In  the 
summer  of  1870  the  first  contract  with  the  builders 
was  signed,  and  two  years  later  the  work  was  prac- 
tically completed,  at  a  cost  of  more  than  ^17,000. 

Those  who  were  privileged  to  serve  on  the 
'  Restoration '  Committee  under  the  presidency  of 
the  Dean  will  gratefully  acknowledge  the  debt 
due  to  his  untiring  attention  to  every  detail  of 
the  work,  and  to  his  exquisite  artistic  taste  and 
well-balanced  judgment. 

It  w^as  not  indeed  so  much  a  'Restoration' 
as  an  '  adaptation '  of  the  church  to  its  twofold 
purposes,  to  serve  as  the  Cathedral  Church  of  the 
Diocese,  and  the  College  Chapel.  Before  Dean 
Liddell's  time,  the  first  of  these  two  objects  had 
been  for  long  almost  unrecognized.  There  was 
an  episcopal  throne  indeed,  which  was  occasion- 
ally occupied,  and  there  were  Canons'  Prayers 
on  week-days,  scantily  attended.  But  the  re- 
quirements of  the  College  had  always  been  first 
considered.  The  Cathedral  Church  was  within  the 
College  gates,  and  was  therefore  only  accessible 
at  the  pleasure  of  its  Head.  The  Dean,  moreover, 
claimed  to  be  his  own  Ordinary,  and  the  Bishops 
had  met  with  scant  courtesy  from  former  Deans. 
Even  in  Dean  Liddell's  earlier  years,  the  Bishop, 
on  his  rare  visits,  would  slink  into  his  seat  from 
the  side  aisle  as  though  he  were  almost  an  interloper. 
But   after   some   years   of  diligent  care   in  the 


CH.  v]       Changes  in  Nave  and  Choir  157 


improvement  of  the  services,  the  Cathedral,  made 
more  convenient  for  a  mixed  congregation  by  the 
reconstruction  of  the  interior  in  1856,  had  become 
well  attended  by  the  general  public,  and  there 
were  larger  demands  upon  its  space  at  the  Sunday 
services.  The  work  undertaken  in  1870  brought 
the  church,  in  all  essential  points,  into  its  present 
condition.  The  interior  of  the  fabric  was  thoroughly 
cleaned,  the  whitewash  brushed  off,  and  the  original 
surface  exposed.  The  quaint  seventeenth-century 
screens,  which  shut  off  the  chapels  north  of  the 
choir  from  the  north  transept,  were  removed. 
They  were  of  unusual  design,  shaped  as  inverted 
arches,  so  as  to  form,  with  the  Norman  arches 
above  them,  complete  circles  with  solid  masonry, 
only  partly  pierced,  below.  The  plain  two-light 
windows  which  Brian  Duppa  had  inserted  throughout 
the  church,  and  had  filled  with  Van  Ling's  glass, 
were  removed,  and  somewhat  commonplace  Per- 
pendicular windows  took  their  place.  One  only 
of  these  curious  windows  remains.  It  was  spared 
in  compliance  with  a  general  request  of  members 
of  the  House,  and  may  be  seen  at  the  west  end 
of  the  north  aisle  of  the  nave.  It  represents 
Jonah  under  the  gourd,  and  the  city  of  Nineveh 
in  the  distance.  The  east  window,  then  of 
Decorated  tracery,  and  filled  with  gaudy  French 
glass  recently  given  in  commemoration  of  the 
tercentenary  of  the  foundation  of  the  College,  made 
way  for  a  charming  reconstruction  of  the  eastern 
end  in  accordance  with  indications  of  earlier  work 


Deanery  of  Christ  Church 


[CH.  V 


discovered  by  the  architect.  Portions  of  the  French 
glass  may  still  be  seen  distributed  among  the  cleres- 
tory lights  of  the  south  transept.  This  transept,  one 
bay  of  which  had  long  been  desecrated  by  its  use 
as  a  Verger's  house,  was  now  brought  wholly  into 
the  church  ;  and  a  curious  chamber,  which  extended 
over  the  slype,  was  carefully  rebuilt  in  accordance 
with  traces  found  in  situ.  A  light  screen  of  open 
iron-work,  wrought  by  Skidmore  of  Coventry,  was 
carried  round  the  nave  and  choir,  so  as  to  mark 
off  the  central  portion  of  the  church  for  Collegiate 
use  without  excluding  the  general  congregation 
from  full  enjoyment  of  the  service.  At  the  west 
end  of  the  nave  an  additional  bay  was  built, 
replacing  one  of  the  three  destroyed  by  Wolsey ; 
it  was  intended  that  it  should  be  called  Dr.  Dowdes- 
well's  bay,  the  cost  being  defrayed  by  a  sum  of 
money  bequeathed  some  years  before  by  that  member 
of  the  Chapter.  And  when,  before  the  restoration 
was  completed,  the  Canon's  house  which  separated 
the  Cathedral  from  the  Great  Quadrangle  became 
vacant,  an  approach  to  the  church  was  made  from 
the  terrace  through  a  double  archway.  This  was 
completed  in  1872,  and  now  forms  the  chief 
entrance.  The  central  tower  arcade  was  also 
opened  to  view ;  its  Norman  arches  had  been  long 
hidden  by  the  floor  of  the  ringing  chamber.  But 
the  bells  were  now  removed  altogether  from  the 
church,  and  a  new  belfry  was  constructed  for  them 
above  the  Hall  staircase.  There  they  were  placed 
in  a  plain  wooden  case,  irreverently  called  the 


CHRIST  CHURCH  CATHEDRAL  AFTER  RESTORATION. 

To  face  page  158. 


CH.  V] 


Improved  Services 


159 


*  Tea-chest,'  which  was  some  years  afterwards  hidden 
from  view  by  the  construction,  from  the  designs  of 
Mr.  Bodley,  of  the  stunted  tower  with  four  corner 
turrets,  which  rises  at  the  south-east  corner  of 
the  Great  Quadrangle.  It  was  Mr.  Bodley's  wish 
to  surmount  this  lower  tower  by  a  lofty  campanile 
of  wood  and  copper ;  it  is  hoped  that  this  design 
may  yet  be  carried  out. 

It  remained  to  furnish  the  interior  in  a  manner 
worthy  of  the  building.  The  stalls  and  seats  in 
the  central  portion  were  made  of  dark  Italian  walnut 
from  Mr.  Scott's  designs.  The  floor  of  the  choir 
was  laid  with  rich  marbles,  surrounding  designs  in 
Maltese  inlaid  work.  The  Bishop's  throne,  a 
Diocesan  memorial  of  Bishop  Wilberforce,  was  also 
designed  by  Scott.  Gradually  other  enrichments 
were  added  by  various  donors ;  the  place  grew  in 
beauty  year  by  year.  The  altar  frontal,  and  the 
richly-bound  Bible  of  1674,  were  the  gifts  of  Dean 
Liddell's  three  eldest  daughters. 

The  Cathedral  was  indeed  an  object  of  his  un- 
ceasing care,  and  is  a  worthy  monument  of  his  taste. 
And  he  desired  to  throw  the  building  open  as  widely 
as  possible  to  the  public,  and  to  have  the  services 
conducted  with  care  and  reverence.  Although  with 
no  liking  for  any  of  the  extreme  developments  in 
doctrine  or  ritual  which  were  becoming  so  common, 
Dean  Liddell  was  in  hearty  sympathy  with  every 
attempt  made  to  meet  the  demand  for  more  frequent 
and  more  reverent  services.  A  weekly  celebration 
of  Holy  Communion  was  introduced  in  1865  ;  to 


m 

1 60        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  v 

this  was  subsequently  added  a  celebration  on  Thurs- 
day mornings.  Diocesan  gatherings  of  various  kinds 
were  encouraged  during  the  vacations,  when  the 
church  was  not  needed  for  College  purposes.  Bach's 
Passion  music  was  rendered  for  the  first  time  on 
March  20,  1873,  by  the  three  choirs  of  Christ 
Church,  Magdalen  College,  and  the  Chapel  Royal, 
Windsor.  Later  in  the  same  year  Bach's  Christmas 
music  was  rendered  there,  and  the  Church  has  again 
and  again  been  used  for  such  special  services.  If, 
a  few  years  before  Dean  Liddell's  time,  a  writer 
in  the  Ecclcsiologist  could  describe  the  service  at 
Christ  Church  as  '  the  most  slovenly  and  irreverent 
that  we  have  ever  witnessed  in  any  English 
Cathedral,'  it  may  now  claim  to  rank  among  the 
most  beautiful,  even  in  a  University  which  boasts 
of  New  College  and  Magdalen  Chapels. 

Another  important  architectural  work  is  associated 
with  the  earlier  years  of  Dean  Liddell's  rule.  For 
some  time  past  the  Chapter  had  been  accumulating 
funds  for  rebuilding  an  ancient  part  of  the  College, 
and,  in  a  communication  to  Lord  Palmerston  in  1854, 
they  expressed  a  hope  that  the  undertaking  would 
soon  be  begun.  Many  Christ  Church  men  will 
remember  the  Chaplains'  Quadrangle,  the  scene  of 
innumerable  bonfires,  formed  by  the  Old  Library 
(the  monastic  refectory)  on  the  north,  Wolsey's 
kitchen  on  the  west,  the  cloister  and  passage  to 
the  meadow  on  the  east,  and  on  the  south  a  low 
range  of  venerable  buildings  where  the  Chaplains 
and  Auditor  had  rooms.    A  narrow  archway  led 


To  face  page  160. 


THE   GREAT  QUADRANGLE,  CHRIST  CHURCH. 

From  a  Draioing  made  in  /SjO. 


CH.  V]  Meadow  Buildings  &  Gt.  Quadrangle  i6i 

eastward  from  the  cloister  to  a  somewhat  mean 
block  of  buildings  erected  after  the  fire  of  1669 
by  Dean  John  Fell,  which  fronted  the  Broad  Walk. 
It  was  now  resolved  to  pull  down  Fell's  Buildings 
and  the  south  side  of  the  Chaplains'  Quadrangle ; 
and  in  their  stead  was  erected  the  long  range  of 
Meadow  Buildings,  from  the  designs  of  Mr.  Deane 
of  Dublin,  whose  firm,  then  Deane  and  Woodward, 
had  been  the  architects  of  the  University  Museum. 
The  style  is  Rhenish  Gothic,  and  the  exterior 
elevation  still  perhaps  invites  criticism ;  but  the 
interior  arrangements  are  excellent,  and  rooms  have 
been  provided  for  a  large  addition  to  the  numbers 
of  the  College.  The  work  was  completed  in  1865, 
some  of  the  rooms  having  been  occupied  in  the 
previous  year. 

The  Great  Quadrangle  in  its  turn  required  to 
be  dealt  with.  No  material  alteration  in  its  archi- 
tecture had  been  made  since  the  time  of  its  com- 
pletion under  Dean  John  Fell,  when  the  whole  of  the 
north  side  was  built.  At  the  same  time  Wolsey's 
work  had  been  curiously  transformed  by  the  addition 
of  an  Italian  balustrade  running  round  the  whole 
range  of  buildings,  including  even  the  Hall;  and  the 
earth  excavated  from  the  centre  of  the  Quadrangle 
had  been  piled  up  to  raise  the  broad  terrace,  so  that 
the  bases  of  the  shafts  which  were  to  support  the 
vaulting  of  Wolsey's  projected  cloister  were  hidden 
below  the  level  of  the  terrace  walk.  There  had 
apparently  been  no  uniformity  of  surface  in  the 
area  of  the  Quadrangle  before  Fell's  time;  the 


1 62        Deanery  of  Christ  Church        [ch.  v 


whole  place  was  till  then  unfinished  ;  and  a  staple 
with  ring  for  fastening  horses  was  to  be  seen  near  the 
Deanery  door  as  late  as  1870,  thus  indicating  that 
it  could  be  reached  on  horseback  in  olden  days. 
In  1842  the  terrace  had  been  very  handsomely  faced 
with  grey  Cornish  granite.  Now — under  Dean 
Liddell — the  crumbling  surface  of  the  soft  Oolite 
stone  of  which  the  Quadrangle  was  built,  long 
disintegrated  by  rain  and  frost,  was  renewed  with 
a  harder  stone  from  the  Taynton  quarries  wherever 
necessary.  The  shafts  designed  to  carry  the  vaulting 
of  the  cloister  received — with  perhaps  an  almost  over- 
conscientious  reproduction  of  Wolsey's  unfinished 
project — the  slightly  curved  stones  to  show  the 
intended  springing  of  the  vaulting ;  the  arches, 
which  had  been  smoothed  to  the  wall  face,  were 
renewed  round  the  Quadrangle,  and  even  introduced 
on  the  north  side,  where  they  had  never  existed 
before,  and  the  terrace  was  lowered  about  fifteen 
inches  to  disclose  the  bases  of  the  shafts.  This 
change  in  the  level  of  the  terrace  revealed  the 
foundation  of  the  external  buttresses  of  the  cloister. 
It  was  decided,  but  not  without  much  hesitation, 
to  leave  them  exposed.  The  balustrade,  some  parts 
of  which  had  lately  fallen  in  a  storm,  was  removed, 
and  battlements  took  its  place.  Beneath  them  was 
carved  a  line  of  shields,  illustrative  of  the  long 
history  of  the  House.  The  Hall  received  its  pin- 
nacles, and  its  splendid  proportions  were  disclosed 
by  the  removal  of  the  masking  wall  which  connected 
it  at  its  eastern  end  with  the  corner  tower.  Over 


CH.  V]      Cloisters  and  Chapter  House  163 


Kill-Canon  a  small  tower,  originally  intended  by  Fell 
for  astronomical  purposes,  but  never  carried  up  beyond 
the  line  of  the  balustrade,  was  now  completed. 

There  remained  the  Chapter  House,  and  the 
mutilated  cloister,  of  which  Wolsey  had  ruthlessly 
destroyed  the  western  side,  to  be  restored  as  far 
as  possible  to  their  original  beauty.  The  cloister 
garth  was  cleared  of  a  mass  of  earth  which  had 
accumulated  there  during  three  hundred  years.  The 
removal  of  the  soil  not  only  enabled  the  proportions 
of  the  cloister  itself  to  be  appreciated,  but  also 
exposed  to  view  some  puzzling  foundations  of  con- 
ventual buildings,  possibly  of  the  lavatory.  The 
northern  side  of  the  cloister  had  long  been  used 
as  a  muniment  room,  for  which  purpose  it  was  quite 
unfit,  as  Anthony  a  Wood  complained  two  centuries 
before.  All  documents  were  now  removed ;  the 
tracery  of  the  windows  was  renewed  throughout 
the  cloisters  to  its  original  Perpendicular  character ; 
the  Heme  vaulting  of  the  roofs  was  restored ;  and 
over  the  doorway  of  the  Chapter  House — a  most 
interesting  remnant  of  an  earlier  building — the  bold 
experiment  of  a  loftier  vaulting  in  oak  was  suc- 
cessfully accomplished.  The  Chapter  House — an 
exquisite  specimen  of  early  English  architecture 
— had  been  strangely  disfigured  in  the  seven- 
teenth century.  A  party  wall  had  been  built  across 
it,  dividing  it  into  two  nearly  equal  portions,  and 
the  flooring  of  the  inner  part,  which  was  used  for 
Chapter  business  and  hospitable  dinners,  had  been 
raised  within  a  few  feet  of  the  bases  of  the  shafts 

y  2 


164 


Deanery  of  Christ  Church 


[CH.  V 


of  the  tracery  which  clothed  the  walls  and  the 
graceful  eastern  window  with  its  five  pointed  lights. 
Beneath  this  floor  a  cellar  had  been  formed,  where 
the  Chapter  wine  was  stored.  All  these  monstrous 
obstructions  were  now  swept  away,  and  the  noble 
proportions  of  the  room  were  once  more  shown. 

Such  were  the  principal  architectural  works  as- 
sociated with  Dean  Liddell's  epoch.  It  is  a  matter 
of  regret  that  the  Meadow  Buildings  were  not  called 
by  his  name  ;  but  his  statue — the  gift  of  Sir  John 
Mowbray  and  Mr.  Vere  Bayne — stands  above  the 
Kill-Canon  archway,  on  its  northern  side.  On  the 
south  side  of  the  same  archway  is  a  modern  statue 
of  his  great  predecessor,  John  Fell.  It  was  the 
gift  of  Liddell,  as  his  initials  indicate  ^ ;  and  it  takes 
the  place  of  the  earlier  statue  of  the  same  famous 
Dean,  familiar  to  many  generations  of  Christ  Church 
men,  and  often  subject  to  indignities  at  their  hands, 
which  now  rests  in  quiet  seclusion  in  the  garden 
of  Nuneham  Park,  bearing  the  following  inscription 
from  Liddell's  pen,  recounting  its  chequered  history  : 

*  Effigies  quam  aspicis  viri  optimi  qui  cur  homun- 
cionibus  quibusdam  displiceret  ipsi  nesciebant  in 
Aede  Christi  minio  semel  atque  iterum  illita  hoc 
in  recessu  requiem  obtinuit  a.  d.  1887.' 

Certainly  to  no  other  Dean  than  Fell  did  Christ 
Church  owe  so  large  a  debt,  in  the  reconstruction 
'  The  inscription  is  : 

JOHANNI  FELL 
H.  G.  L. 

DECANO  DECANUS 
MDCCCLXXVII. 


CH.  V]         New  JValk  in  Meadow  165 


and  dutiful  preservation  of  its  buildings,  as  it  has 
owed  to  Liddell.  And  as  Fell  planted  the  Broad 
Walk  with  its  double  line  of  seventy-two  elm  trees, 
so  to  Liddell  is  due  the  new  avenue  which  leads 
from  the  gate  of  the  Meadow  Buildings  to  the 
river,  superseding  the  narrow,  damp,  and  unsavoury 
path  which  skirted  the  west  side  of  the  meadow 
by  the  Trill  Mill  stream  ^ 

*  This  walk  was  formally  opened  in  1872  by  Princess  Louise.  The 
crews  of  the  Eights  assembled  in  the  Deanery  Garden,  and  walked  in 
procession  from  the  Meadow  gate  to  the  Barges,  carrying  the  flags  of 
their  respective  colleges. 


CHAPTER  VI 

DEANERY  OF  CHRIST  CHURCH  {continued^ 

Much  more  is  needed  for  a  successful  ruler  of  an 
ancient,  learned,  and  numerous  society  than  artistic 
taste  and  high  intellectual  gifts.  The  Dean  of  Christ 
Church  has  to  maintain  the  efficiency  of  a  Cathedral 
establishment  and  of  a  great  collegiate  foundation. 
He  has  to  gather  round  him,  and  guide  with  con- 
stitutional, but  not  arbitrary  authority,  a  body  of 
students  comprising  brilliant  representatives  of 
every  department  of  academical  study ;  and  over 
a  very  large  number  of  undergraduates  he  has  to 
preside  as  the  upholder  of  discipline,  the  encourager 
of  industry,  and  the  rewarder  of  merit.  Firmness, 
tact,  discernment,  consideration,  courtesy,  are  all 
necessary  elements  of  success  in  so  prominent 
a  position ;  they  largely  create  that  authority 
without  which  chaos  is  likely  to  prevail,  and  that 
confidence  which  alone  makes  authority  welcome. 
But  confidence  is  proverbially  a  plant  of  slow 
growth;  and  a  Headmastership  has  rarely,  in 
Oxford  experience,  been  found  a  good  training 
for  the  Headship  of  a  College.    It  was  only  by 


Matters  of  Discipline 


167 


degrees  that  Dean  Liddell,  who  never  lacked 
authority,  gained  the  full  confidence  of  every 
member  of  his  House  ;  it  was  only  by  degrees  that 
respect  changed  into  regard,  and  regard  ripened 
into  affection. 

There  were  difficulties  at  first.  The  unfortunate 
selection  by  the  new  Dean  of  a  Tutor  who  did  not 
understand  how  to  deal  with  undergraduates  made 
discipline  for  a  time  an  arduous  task.  His  own 
enforced  absence  for  two  consecutive  winters  in  the 
island  of  Madeira  was  a  serious  interruption  to  his 
work,  and  kept  him  almost  a  stranger  to  many 
whom  he  desired  to  know.  Fortunately  his  place, 
during  the  winters  of  1856-7  and  1857-8,  was  well 
filled  by  the  Sub-Dean,  Archdeacon  Gierke,  who 
was  deservedly  popular,  and  held  the  reins  of 
government  with  steady  hands,  ably  supported 
by  the  Censors.  A  letter  written  by  him  to  the 
Dean  in  February  1858  will  remind  old  Christ 
Church  men  of  an  incident  of  not  unfrequent 
occurrence  in  former  days,  and  will  bring  to  their 
memory  one  whose  name  has  been  happily  associated 
with  the  fortunes  of  the  House  since  1842,  and  who 
still,  as  senior  Student  of  the  Foundation,  occupies 
a  warm  place  in  the  affections  of  present  and  former 
members  of  Christ  Church. 

'  Our  winter  is  now  passing  away.  We  are  having 
a  most  mild  one  altogether;  but  have  had  enough 
snow  to  set  the  boys  here  at  work  one  night  at 
the  old  amusement  of  blocking  up  Kill-Canon. 
They  are  inclined  to  be  more  noisy  than  they  were 


1 68        Deaitery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 


last  Term,  but  I  have  not  much  to  complain  of. 
Our  new  noblemen  seem  to  be  a  well-conducted 
set,  and  I  hope  we  may  improve,  not  spoil  them. 
I  am  bound  to  speak  well  of  Prout  as  Censor^. 
He  shows  firmness,  and  knows  how  to  manage  men, 
and  they  seem  to  respect  him.' 

From  time  to  time — as  happens  in  every  College 
— troubles  and  anxieties  with  regard  to  discipline 
would  arise ;  the  most  serious  in  Liddell's  time  was 
as  far  back  as  1870;  but  the  absolute  calmness 
and  impartiality  of  the  Dean  made  such  disorder 
comparatively  easy  to  deal  with.  The  Bishop  of 
Gibraltar,  who  was  Censor  from  1861  to  the  end 
of  1869,  describes  his  experience  of  such  incidents  : 

'After  I  had  become  Censor,  and  for  the  eight 
following  years,  I  was  brought  into  constant  and 
intimate  relations  with  the  Dean.  The  discipline 
of  the  House  rests  with  him  and  the  Censors.  The 
two  Censors  divided  the  Term  between  them,  the 
Senior  Censor  being  responsible  for  the  first,  the 
Junior  for  the  second  half.    It  was  the  custom  for 

^  Mr.  Prout  was  Junior  Censor,  having  been  unexpectedly  called 
upon  to  take  the  office  on  Mr.  Lloyd's  retirement.  The  Senior  Censor 
at  this  time  was  the  brilliant  scholar  and  quaint  humorist  Osborne 
Gordon,  a  man  of  singular  power  and  wide  popularity.  He  had  been 
in  office  for  several  years  under  Gaisford,  and  was  not  perhaps  quite 
in  sympathy  with  Liddell's  views,  though  he  always  loyally  supported 
his  chief.  He  left  Christ  Church  in  1861,  having  accepted  the  College 
living  of  Easthampstead. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  add  a  complete  list  of  the  Censors  during 
Liddell's  time  as  Dean.  O.  Gordon,  till  1861 ;  G.  Marshall,  till  1858  ; 
C.  Lloyd,  1858  ;  T.  J.  Prout,  1858-61 ;  C.  W.  Sandford,  1861-9  ; 
G.  W.  Kitchin,  1861-3  ;  T.  V.  Bayne,  1863-77  ;  H.  L.  Thompson,  1870- 
77;  H.  Salwey,  1877-82;  E.  F.  Sampson,  1877-94;  H.  S.  Holland, 
1882-4;  R.  E.  Baynes,  1884-7  ;  W.  Warner,  1887-92. 


CH.  VI  Lid  dell  at  'Collections'  169 


the  Censor  in  office  to  call  upon  the  Dean  every 
morning  before  ten  o'clock,  when  lectures  began, 
and  to  confer  with  him  on  any  matter  affecting 
the  discipline,  studies,  or  other  interests  of  the 
undergraduates.  On  looking  back  on  those  inter- 
views, I  see  the  Dean  standing  at  his  desk,  busily 
engaged  with  his  great  Lexicon.  What  struck  me 
most  in  him  on  these  occasions  was  his  perfect 
self-control,  and  his  inflexible  justice.  Once  or 
twice  I  had  to  report  serious  breaches  of  discipline. 
Trying,  disappointing,  and  disheartening  as  those 
outbreaks  of  lawlessness  were,  the  Dean  was  always 
calm,  never  made  an  error  of  judgment,  was  never 
provoked  into  a  harsh  act,  or  even  into  a  harsh 
word.' 

Harsh,  perhaps,  never ;  but  stern  words  often, 
at  least  in  his  earlier  days.  Many  men  who  were 
undergraduates  during  his  long  reign  would,  if 
asked  their  impression,  recall  this  special  character- 
istic, that  he  was  stern.  It  was  not  that  he  was 
naturally  severe ;  we  know  that  he  was  gentle  and 
tender-hearted ;  but  he  was  shy  and  reserved  ;  there 
were  traditions  of  the  Decanal  office  not  associated 
with  suavity  of  demeanour ;  he  was  the  official 
mouthpiece  when  fault  had  to  be  found ;  and  he 
was  always  sparing  of  praise.  The  result  was  that 
the  more  industrious  members  of  the  College  some- 
times felt  that  they  scarcely  received  their  due  meed 
of  commendation  and  encouragement,  while  the  less 
deserving  experienced  justice  at  his  hands,  un- 
tempered  by  leniency.  '  Collections '  at  the  end 
of  Term  brought  an  ordeal  not  pleasant  to  be 

z 


ijo        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch. vi 


faced  by  the  indolent  or  the  unruly.  The  green 
baize  covered  table  ;  the  row  of  Tutors  who  knew 
each  victim's  failings,  and  had  often  told  him  of 
them ;  the  Dean  seated  at  the  north  end  of  the 
table,  with  the  terminal  report  before  him ; — and 
then  the  examination  badly  done ;  the  fatal  record 
of  lectures  unattended,  or  other  and  graver  mis- 
deeds ;  at  last  the  plain  unvarnished  words  of 
rebuke  which  fell  from  the  Dean's  lips  :  this  was 
no  agreeable  experience,  and  left  no  happy  memory 
behind.  And  with  many  an  undergraduate,  this 
was  almost  all  he  knew  of  the  Dean,  this  terrible 
review  in  Collections  three  times  a  year.  Men  did 
not  understand  that  beneath  that  cold  and  impertur- 
bable presence  there  lay  hid  sympathy  and  tender- 
ness which  would  have  gladly  found  expression 
under  different  circumstances.  Sometimes  the 
Censors  had  the  painful  duty  of  bringing  young 
men  before  the  Dean  at  his  own  house  for  severe 
punishment  or  serious  warning.  The  same  impres- 
sion was  left  on  the  culprits  after  their  alarming 
interview.  On  one  occasion  an  awkward  mistake 
occurred.    There  were  two  brothers  of  the  name  of 

L  ,  one  of  whom  was  a  model  of  propriety,  the 

other  somewhat  of  a  scapegrace.  The  latter  was 
one  morning  to  be  brought  before  the  Dean  by  the 
Censors.  They  had  instructed  the  Dean  as  to 
the  nature  of  the  offence,  and  the  character  of  the 
rebuke  to  be  administered.  The  door  opened,  and 
an  undergraduate  appeared,  to  whom  the  Dean 
spoke  at  once,  not  mincing  his  words.    But,  on 


CH.  Vl] 


Mistaken  Censure 


171 


looking  round,  the  Censor  to  his  dismay  perceived 

that  the  wrong  Mr.  L          had  by  some  mischance 

answered  the  summons  to  attend  :  the  good  and 
not  the  bad  brother  was  in  the  room.  As  soon 
as  possible  he  intervened :  '  I  think,  Mr.  Dean, 
a  mistake  has  been  made ;  this  is  not  the  gentle- 
man we  wished  to  bring  before  you,  but  his  brother.' 
'  Oh,'  said  the  Dean,  as  he  put  up  his  eyeglass,  and 
spoke  in  his  coldest  tones, '  the  Censors  have  always 
spoken  well  of  you.  Be  good  enough  to  pass  on  to 
your  brother  what  I  have  said  to  you.  You  may 
go.'  And  out  the  man  went,  but  not  in  an  amiable 
mood.  On  another  occasion  a  junior  student  who 
had  gained  high  University  distinctions,  and  was 
of  absolutely  blameless  character,  called  upon  the 
Dean  to  enter  his  name  as  a  candidate  for  the 
crowning  reward  of  a  successful  career — a  senior 
studentship.  As  he  entered  the  study  the  Dean, 
without  at  first  completely  turning  from  his  desk, 
addressed  the  astonished  undergraduate  with  marked 
severity  :  '  We're  not  going  to  have  this  sort  of 
thing  .  .  .  and  a  student  too ;  it  makes  it  worse  ! ' 
Then  he  looked  round,  and  seeing  who  his  visitor 
was,  he  bluntly  added,  '  Oh !  they've  sent  the 
wrong  man.  Pray  be  seated,  Mr.  Paget.'  For  the 
person  so  assailed  was  no  other  than  the  future 
Dean,  who  thus  learnt  a  lesson  which  has  perhaps 
been  of  use  to  him  in  later  years. 

A  less  strong,  less  dignified,  less  majestic  figure 
would  have  suffered  from  this  sternness  of  de- 
meanour ;  but  Liddell's  straightforward  simplicity 

z  2 


1 72        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 

and  aristocratic  bearing  atoned  for  much,  and, 
especially  in  his  later  years,  he  was  universally 
venerated,  while  his  manner  became  gentler,  and 
his  whole  attitude  towards  undergraduates  grew  to 
be  more  fatherly,  sympathetic,  and  genial.  And 
when  some  young  man  who  had  gone  through 
the  experience  of  undergraduate  days  at  Christ 
Church  was  exalted  to  the  position  of  Tutor,  he 
came  to  appreciate  much  that  he  had  not  known 
before,  and  to  regard  the  Dean  with  profound  and 
affectionate  respect.  He  discovered  that  his  chief 
always  made  the  most  generous  allowance  for  errors 
of  judgment  and  immaturity  of  knowledge  in  the 
young  Tutor;  that  he  gave  to  him  the  utmost 
encouragement  and  the  wisest  guidance  ;  and  that 
he  always  supported  the  authority,  even  if  privately 
he  could  not  always  commend  the  discretion,  of  every 
member  of  the  educational  staff.  And  so  as  the  years 
passed,  and  Censors  and  Tutors  came  and  went, 
there  was  one  judgment  which  never  faltered,  one 
experience  which  extended  over  many  generations  ; 
a  pillar  of  strength  on  which  all  came  to  rely  with 
implicit  confidence  and  grateful  unanimity. 

In  1868  an  occurrence  of  an  unusual  kind  led  to 
some  perplexity.  A  Roman  ecclesiastic,  who  after- 
wards obtained  an  undesirable  notoriety,  spent  some 
time  in  Oxford,  and  was  in  the  habit  of  frequenting 
undergraduates'  rooms  at  Christ  Church,  and  trying 
to  unsettle  their  minds.  Dr.  Pusey  was  much  con- 
cerned at  this,  and  wrote  more  than  once  to  the 
Dean  on  the  subject.    His  letters,  even  at  this 


CH.  VI]  Pusey  and  Roman  Controversialist  1 73 


distance  of  time,  have  an  interest  of  their  own.  In 
June  1868  he  wrote: 

'  I  understand  that  a  very  clever  Roman  con- 
troversialist, Father    of  Pau,  who  has  taken 

Mr,  Comberbatch's  duty  at  the  Roman  Catholic 
church  for  a  time,  is  visiting  a  good  deal  with  our 
undergraduates  and  talking  controversy  with  them  ; 
not  particularly  with  such  as  think  and  believe  as  I 
do,  for  we  might  counteract  his  influence,  but  with 
others  who  understand  less  the  ground  upon  which 
they  stand.  I  fear  that  the  effect  of  these  visits 
will  (as  I  have  said  with  regard  to  Dr.  Newman)  be 
to  produce  unsettlement  among  our  undergraduates, 
who  are  no  match  for  a  clever  controversialist. 
Possibly  you  have  heard  this  before.  But  if  any 
persons  leave  the  Church  of  England  for  Rome,  my 
friends  and  I  are  the  persons  blamed  ;  whereas 
I  suppose  the  intercourse  with  a  controversialist 
who  unsettles  minds  which  have  probably  thought 
very  little  seriously  on  any  subject,  is  probably  the 
result  of  his  friendship  with  the  Roman  Catholic 
undergraduates. 

'  Of  course,  I  do  not  look  for  any  answer,  I  hope 
that,  the  Long  Vacation  being  so  near,  what  I  fear  may 

not  be.    But  Father  has  been  very  successful 

among  the  English  residents  at  Pau,  and  has,  I 
understand,  drawn  away  a  good  many.  I  under- 
stand that  he  has  all  the  tact  of  a  man  of  the  world, 
and  can  adapt  himself  admirably  to  different  minds. 
He  seems  to  be  especially  addressing  himself  to  this 
House,  where  the  young  men  invite  him  to  their 
rooms.  You  alone  know  whether  anything  can  be 
done,  except  in  the  way  of  helping  any  who  get 
perplexed  and  come  to  one.' 


174       Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 


The  Dean  answered  this  letter,  and  heard  again 
from  Dr.  Pusey : 

'  I  had  heard  that  Father  was  introduced  not 

by  the  Roman  Catholics  but  by  an  undergraduate 
who  as  yet  calls  himself  a  Presbyterian,  and  is,  I 
suppose,  a  Roman  Catholic  in  all  but  the  declaration, 
which  he  promised  not  to  make  till  of  age.  I  did 
not  mean  to  throw  any  blame  ;  only,  if  you  did  not 
happen  to  have  heard  it,  to  mention  it,  because 
I  knew  that  the  blame  would  come  on  me  and  my 
friends,  and,  if  possible,  that  it  might  be  prevented. 
I  have  had  too  sad  experience  in  those  cases  for 
twenty-three  years  not  to  know  what  occasions  them. 
I  do  not  think  that  I  have  ever  taught  anything 
about  the  necessity  of  belonging  to  the  Church, 
having  been  always  happy  about  good  Dissenters, 
who  were  acting  according  to  their  consciences,  as 
belonging  to  the  soul,  though  not  to  the  body,  of  the 
Church.' 

In  a  later  letter  he  adds,  more  generally  : 

'  I  trust  that  it  is  not  so  grave  a  matter  as  was 
stated  at  first,  but  something  passing. 

'  Evil,  in  this  imperfect  world,  lies  close  to  all  good. 
I  do  not  decry  genuine  free  inquiry,  because  some 
abuse  it  to  scepticism  ;  or  progress,  because  some 
understand  by  it  casting  aside  truth ;  so  neither  is 
reverence  for  authority  an  evil,  because  some  follow 
authority  which  God  never  gave  them.  Nor  can  I 
be  responsible  for  those  whom  people  please  to  call 
by  my  name,  whereas  they  themselves  say,  that  we, 
the  old  Tractarians,  were  well  enough  for  our  day, 
but  they  have  got  beyond  us.  I  learned  what  I 
learned  from  my  mother ;  the  Catechism,  the  Holy 


CH.  VI]        Abolition  of  Distinctions  175 


Scriptures,  our  Divines,  the  Fathers,  to  whom  we 
were  directed.  If  people,  like  some  of  the  young 
clergy,  take  Rome  for  their  model,  I  am  not  sur- 
prised when  they  go  there.' 

The  Dean  adopted  the  simple  expedient  of  in- 
structing the  porters  not  to  allow  Father   to 

enter  Christ  Church ;  and  his  stay  in  Oxford  soon 
afterwards  came  to  an  end. 

Throughout  the  Dean's  long  reign,  the  number 
of  undergraduates  was  well  kept  up.  In  1855 
there  were  about  200  of  them  on  the  books ;  in 
1 89 1,  about  280.  The  rooms  were  almost  always 
full ;  and  though  some  old  Christ  Church  families 
transferred  their  allegiance  to  other  Colleges,  the 
bulk  of  them  remained  faithful.  One  great  change, 
which  the  first  University  Commission  had  strongly 
recommended,  the  Dean  witnessed  and  approved  : 
the  abolition  of  the  distinction  between  Noblemen, 
Gentlemen  Commoners,  and  Commoners.  What- 
ever might  have  been  the  justification,  in  older 
days,  for  the  formal  recognition  of  differences  of 
rank  among  undergraduates,  it  was  by  now 
an  anachronism,  and  did  harm ;  especially  when 
young  men  were  admitted  to  the  enjoyment  of 
peculiar  privileges,  whose  intellectual  equipment 
was  below  the  ordinary  level,  and  who  were  not 
even  nominally  employed  in  reading  for  a  degree. 
When  Gentlemen  Commoners  appeared  at  Collec- 
tions, and  were  examined  in  Creasy's  Fifteen  De- 
cisive Battles  of  the  World  as  the  staple  of  their 
Term's  work,  it  was  time  that  their  order  should 


176        Deanery  of  CJirist  Chtirch       [ch.  vi 


cease  to  exist  within  the  walls  of  Christ  Church. 
They  had  degenerated  into  an  idle  clique  of  wealthy- 
men,  enjoying  certain  immunities,  but  bringing  no 
corresponding  advantage  to  the  College  ^  It  was 
far  best  that  all  such  distinctions  should  vanish. 
This  reform  was  effected  under  the  Ordinance  of 
1867,  in  which  it  was  enacted  that : 

'  There  shall  be  no  distinctions  in  respect  to 
academical  dress,  designation,  College  charges,  or 
College  payments,  among  Undergraduate  members 
of  the  House,  not  being  Junior  Students  nor 
Exhibitioners  within  the  House.' 

The  regard  graciously  shown  to  Mr.  Liddell  by 
Her  Majesty  and  Prince  Albert  during  the  whole 
of  his  life  at  Westminster  was  continued  after  his 
preferment  to  the  Deanery,  and  in  Michaelmas 
Term  1859  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales  became 
a  member  of  Christ  Church.  He  resided  at  Oxford 
for  two  years,  living  at  Frewin  Hall,  but  regularly 
attending  Chapel  and  lectures,  and  occasionally 
dining  in  hall.  In  1863  the  Crown  Prince  of 
Denmark  came  into  residence,  the  present  Dean 
of  Durham  acting  as  his  Preceptor;  but  his  career 
at  Oxford  was  interrupted  by  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war  between  Denmark  and  Prussia  on  the 

^  Some  years  before,  Osborne  Gordon  had  sent  a  Gentleman 
Commoner,  who  was  devoid  of  classical  tastes,  to  a  course  of  lectures 
on  '  The  Atmosphere,'  with  a  promise  to  examine  him  in  Collections, 

and  find  out  what  he  had  learnt.    'Well,  Mr.   ,'  said  Gordon, 

'  what  is  the  atmosphere  composed  of  ? '  After  much  hesitation  the 
man  replied,  '  Zinc'  '  Thank  you,'  said  Gordon,  '  that  will  do.  Good 
morning.' 


CH.  VI]  Matriculation  of  Prince  of  Wales  177 


Schleswig-Holstein question.  In  1872  H.R.H.  Prince 
Leopold  was  entered  on  the  books.  He  lived  for 
three  years  at  Wykeham  House,  and  afterwards 
had  rooms  assigned  to  him  in  Canterbury  Quad- 
rangle, which  he  occupied  during  occasional  visits 
to  Oxford. 

The  matriculation  of  the  Heir  Apparent  was 
naturally  attended  by  exceptional  ceremonial.  The 
Dean  has  described  it  in  a  letter  to  his  father, 
dated  October  18,  1859: 

'  I  had  not  time  to  write  last  night,  after  our 
grand  doings  with  the  Prince  of  Wales.  He  came 
down  in  a  royal  carriage  (not  by  special  train)  at 
about  four  o'clock.  I  received  him  on  the  platform, 
and  followed  him  to  his  house.  The  Vice-Chan- 
cellor  and  Proctors  then  called  to  pay  their  respects ; 
then  the  Mayor  and  two  Aldermen  with  an  address  ; 
I  standing  by  and  introducing  them.  Then  I  went 
down  to  Christ  Church,  where  we  had  the  gates 
shut,  and  all  the  men  drawn  up  in  the  Quadrangle. 
At  five  he  came,  and  the  bells  struck  up  as  he 
entered.  He  walked  to  my  house  between  two  lines 
of  men,  who  capped  him.  I  went  out  to  meet  him, 
and  as  we  entered  the  house  there  was  a  spontaneous 
cheer.  All  through  the  streets,  which  were  very 
full,  the  people  cheered  him  well.  Then  I  took  him 
up  to  the  drawing-room,  and  entered  his  name  on 
the  buttery  book.  He  then  retired  with  his  Tutor, 
Mr.  Fisher,  and  put  on  a  nobleman's  cap  and  gown 
in  the  gallery,  and  returned  to  receive  greetings  as 
the  first  Prince  of  Wales  who  had  matriculated  since 
Henry  V.  He  was  also  introduced  to  the  Sub- 
Dean  and  Censors.    I  then  walked  him  across  the 


A  a 


1 78        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 


Quadrangle,  and  across  the  streets  to  Pembroke 
College,  where  we  found  the  Vice-Chancellor  waiting 
at  the  door.  He  took  him  upstairs,  and  there 
matriculated  him  in  due  form.  This  morning  at 
eight  he  came  down  on  foot  from  his  house  to 
chapel.  His  Governor  is  Colonel  Bruce,  brother 
of  Lord  Elgin,  a  very  nice  person  indeed ;  and  his 
Equerry  Major  Teesdale,  one  of  the  heroes  of  Kars, 
a  very  pleasing  young  man.  Now  you  will  ask,  how 
it  all  went  off.  Very  well,  very  well.  Colonel 
Bruce  came  down  to  see  me  this  morning,  and  said 
everything  was  done  a  meyveille,  and  that  the  whole 
ceremony  was  a  kind  of  model  of  how  to  do  this 
sort  of  thing,  and  that  the  Queen  and  Prince  Consort 
would  be  highly  gratified  by  the  account  which  he 
should  send.  The  Prince  himself  is  the  nicest  little 
fellow  possible,  so  simple,  naif,  ingenuous  and 
modest,  and  moreover  with  extremely  good  wits ; 
possessing  also  the  royal  faculty  of  never  forgetting 
a  face.' 

One  may  venture  to  assert  that  those  two  years 
passed  at  Oxford  by  the  Prince  were  very  happy 
years.  He  did  not  read  for  a  Degree,  but  he 
attended  courses  of  lectures  in  history  and  kindred 
subjects.  It  may  be  permitted  to  describe  one  of 
these ;  a  scene  still  imprinted  on  the  memory.  It 
was  a  private  course  given  to  the  Prince  by  the 
Regius  Professor  of  Modern  History,  Mr.  Goldwin 
Smith,  who  was  then  residing  at  New  Inn  Hall; 
and  the  lectures  took  place  in  the  dining-room 
there.  Nearly  opposite  to  the  Hall  was  an  ancient 
gateway,  belonging  originally  to  St.  Mary's  College, 


cH. VI]    Mr.  Goldwin  Sinitlis  Lectures  i^c) 


and  at  this  time  forming  the  carriage  entrance  to  the 
Prince's  residence.  Through  this  gateway  he  would 
pass  at  the  hour  of  lecture,  and  quickly  cross  over 
the  street.  He  always  wore  a  nobleman's  cap  and 
gown,  and  was  attended  by  his  Tutor,  Mr.  Herbert 
Fisher,  and  by  an  Equerry  or,  sometimes,  his 
Governor,  Colonel  Bruce.  He  took  a  seat  at  one 
end  of  the  room,  with  his  Tutor  and  Equerry  on 
either  hand  ;  and  at  the  other  end,  nearest  the  fire, 
sat  the  Professor.  On  the  side  by  the  windows  was 
gathered  a  small  and  specially  selected  group  of 
four  or  five  Christ  Church  undergraduates,  who 
had  been  invited  to  make  an  audience,  and  afford 
the  Prince  a  sense  of  companionship.  All  took 
notes,  as  the  lectures  went  on  ;  and  they  were  well 
deserving  of  the  compliment.  The  text-book  was 
the  Annals  of  England,  and  the  Professor  began 
with  the  earliest  sections  ;  and  he  would  sit  with 
one  leg  folded  over  the  other,  and  talk  delightfully, 
in  his  brilliant  epigrammatic  style,  about  the  various 
subjects  which  were  suggested  as  page  after  page 
was  turned. 

The  record  of  the  distinctions  gained  by  members 
of  Christ  Church  in  the  Honours  Schools  was  no 
doubt — for  many  years — far  from  being  a  brilliant 
one.  This  was  a  great  disappointment  to  the  Dean. 
He  had  entertained  sanguine  hopes  that  the  opening 
of  the  studentships  to  public  competition  would  ensure 
not  only  a  constant  supply  of  able  Tutors,  but  also 
a  body  of  junior  students  who  would  benefit  largely 
by  their  instruction  and  take  high  degrees ;  and  that 


i8o        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 

thus  the  intellectual  tone  of  the  whole  College  would 
be  sensibly  raised.    To  a  certain  extent  this  was 
effected,  but  only  to  a  certain  extent.    The  junior 
students  were  not  sufficiently  numerous  to  make 
any  deep  impression  upon  the  whole  society ;  nor 
was  it  likely  that  in  the  undignified  scramble  for 
clever  lads  in  which  all  Colleges  were  then — as 
now — engaged  the  chief  prizes  would  fall  to  Christ 
Church,  which  had  not  the  reputation  of  being  a 
reading  College.    Westminster  indeed  always  sent 
up  its  best  men ;  but  its  numbers  were  small,  and 
these  were  often  but  of  moderate  ability.  Many 
exceedingly  good    men   were   elected   as  senior 
students  and  became  Tutors,  though  the  unduly 
large    proportion    of   clerical    studentships  con- 
siderably narrowed  the  field  of  choice.    It  was  a 
grave  disaster  that  one  of  the  first  two  elected 
for  this  purpose,  Mr.  G.  R.  Luke  of  Balliol  College, 
whose  rare  intellectual  gifts  and  chivalrous  devotion 
to  his  work  made  from  the  outset  of  his  career 
at  Christ  Church  a  profound  impression  upon  col- 
leagues and  pupils  alike,  perished  by  drowning  in 
March  1862,  in  the  third  year  after  his  election. 
The  loss  was  irreparable,  and  was  keenly  felt  by 
the  Dean. 

'  He  was  far  more  hurt  and  pained  ' — writes  Dean 
Kitchin — '  than  I  ever  saw  him  touched  by  any- 
thing, when  the  news  reached  him  of  the  sad 
accident  which  deprived  Christ  Church  of  the 
splendid  scholarship  and  enthusiasm  of  Mr.  Luke. 
"  How  full  of  misfortunes  Christ  Church  has  been," 


CH.  VI  Mr.  G.  R.  Ltikes  death  i8i 


he  cried,  "  ot  8e  yeipov^'i  fievova-i,  the  best  are  taken 
from  us."  He  was  quite  overcome  with  grief;  for 
he  not  only  had  a  high  regard  for  Mr.  Luke,  but  had 
hoped  that  through  this  infusion  of  new  blood  the 
old  heart  of  Christ  Church  was  waking  up  into  fresh 
action,  and  that  the  former  classical  distinction  of  the 
House  was  coming  back  under  Mr.  Luke's  enthusi- 
astic teaching  and  influence.' 

It  should  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  Christ 
Church  has  always  been  frequented  by  under- 
graduates who  belong  to  the  richer  landed  gentry 
of  England.  Such  men  have  their  future  secured  ; 
for  many  there  are  large  estates  to  which  they  will  in 
due  course  succeed ;  they  have  not  the  same  motive 
for  exertion  which  rouses  poorer  men.  Many  are 
always  content  with  a  Pass  degree ;  to  others,  the 
various  avenues  to  the  Honours  degree  through 
the  non-classical  schools  offer  an  attractive  course  ; 
and  a  large  number  of  industrious  students  may 
make  good  use  of  their  time,  and  yet  not  be  found 
in  the  highest  classes.  There  was  plenty  of 
thorough,  sound,  and  conscientious  work  done  within 
the  walls  of  Christ  Church,  which  produced  no  high 
distinctions ;  and  a  harsh  verdict  was  sometimes 
quite  unjustly  passed  upon  the  College,  and  upon 
its  stately  chief.  One  such  attack  was  made  in 
the  newspapers  as  early  as  December  1859,  when 
the  Dean  had  but  recently  recovered  from  the 
serious  illness  which  kept  him  away  from  Oxford 
for  two  consecutive  winters,  and  before  the  new 
Ordinance,  from  which  so  much  was  hoped,  had  had 


1 82        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 


time  to  bear  any  fruit.  Not  only  were  strictures 
uttered  against  the  College,  but  personal  reflections 
were  cast  upon  the  Dean  himself,  who  was  accused 
of  following  '  the  trail  of  preferment,'  a  ludicrously 
inappropriate  charge.  Liddell  was  naturally  pained, 
as  his  private  letters  show  ;  but  he  declined  to  make 
any  reply  to  the  anonymous  foe.  Two  generous 
answers  were,  however,  written  :  the  one  by  the 
Master  of  Pembroke,  his  late  colleague  on  the  Com- 
mission, and  the  other  by  his  close  personal  friend, 
Arthur  Stanley. 

It  had  been  a  great  joy  to  Liddell,  that  on  the 
death  of  Robert  Hussey,  the  first  occupant  of  the 
Chair  of  the  lately  founded  Regius  Professorship 
of  Ecclesiastical  History,  Stanley  had  been  ap- 
pointed as  his  successor.  Though  the  appointment 
was  made  in  December  1856,  it  did  not  involve  the 
immediate  residence  in  Oxford  of  the  new  Professor, 
who  was  then  Canon  of  Canterbury,  for  the  Canonry 
of  Christ  Church  which  had  been  annexed  by  Act 
of  Parliament  to  the  Professorship  had  not  yet 
fallen  vacant.  But  on  Dr.  Bull's  death  in  February 
1858,  the  vacancy  occurred,  and  Stanley  came  into 
residence  at  Christ  Church  in  the  Summer  Term  of 
that  year.  From  that  time  till  his  appointment 
to  the  Deanery  of  Westminster  in  the  autumn  of 
1863  he  was  Liddell's  close  neighbour,  his  loyal 
colleague  in  the  Chapter,  and  his  chivalrous  ally  in 
academical  disputes.  His  house  was  that  which 
had  been  built  by  Dean  Fell  for  the  Canon  of  the 
third  stall.     It  stands  between   Kill-Canon  and 


CH.  VI  Stanley  as  Canon  of  Christ  Church  183 


Peckwater,  and  now  forms  part  of  the  lodgings  of 
the  present  holder  of  the  Chair  (Dr.  Bright)  ;  having 
been  enlarged  by  the  annexation  of  portions  of  the 
residence  of  Dr.  Barnes,  upon  his  death  in  1859. 

No  other  friend  exercised  so  much  influence  as 
did  Stanley  over  Liddell's  opinions,  or  had  so  great 
a  share  of  his  confidence  and  affection,  except 
perhaps  the  shrewd  and  caustic  Scotchman  who 
succeeded  Liddell  as  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy, 
and  afterwards  became  President  of  Corpus,  the 
Rev.  J.  M.  Wilson. 

It  was  a  happy  chance  that  Stanley  came  back 
to  Oxford  just  at  the  time  when  Liddell  was 
beginning  to  feel  keenly  his  isolation,  and  to  long 
for  the  support  and  sympathy  of  a  friend.  We  have 
seen  that  to  his  colleagues  in  the  Chapter  his 
attitude  as  to  reforms  at  Christ  Church  was  by  no 
means  acceptable.  Dr.  Jacobson  alone  could  be 
counted  as  his  supporter  on  that  body.  And  in  the 
University  the  leaders  of  opinion  were  still  of 
a  strongly  conservative  type ;  liberalism  in  aca- 
demical politics,  and  liberalism  in  theology,  were 
alike  distasteful.  The  earlier  elections  to  the  new 
Hebdomadal  Council  had  not  been  of  good  augury 
for  the  cause  of  progress.  The  co-operation  of  an 
old  friend,  and  particularly  of  a  friend  who  had 
shared  all  the  labours  of  the  University  Commission, 
was  a  source  of  great  delight  and  encouragement 
to  the  Dean.  He  had  warmly  advocated  the  ap- 
pointment. '  Of  all  offices,'  he  wrote,  '  this  is  the 
office  for  him  ;  and  of  all  men  he  is  the  man  for 


184        Deajtery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 


the  office.'  But  people  at  Oxford  did  not  think 
so.  At  the  outset  of  his  new  career  Stanley  was 
destined  to  find  himself  on  the  unpopular  side. 
Those  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  at  Oxford 
then,  and  to  share  his  friendship,  will  remember 
how  triumphantly  he  overcame  the  initial  difficulties 
of  his  position  ;  how  singular  a  power  he  exercised 
in  the  University  pulpit  and  in  his  Professorial 
chair ;  how  rich  a  centre  of  universal  hospitality 
his  house  was  made.  They  will  recall  the  fascinating 
talk,  the  playful  wit,  the  radiant  sympathy  and 
charity,  which  brought  together  in  delightful  inter- 
course the  cultivated  London  guest,  the  formal 
Oxford  Don,  and  the  shy  undergraduate,  in  the 
pretty  seventeenth  century  drawing-room,  with  the 
large  water-colour  drawing  of  Mount  Sinai  over  the 
fireplace,  and  just  above  the  mantelpiece  the  line  of 
figures  representing  the  opening  procession  of  the 
States-General,  with  Mirabeau  (as  the  host  de- 
lighted to  point  out)  walking  at  the  head  of  the 
'  tiers  etat,' 

Stanley  stood  manfully  by  the  side  of  the  Dean 
in  the  Chapter,  which  body,  as  he  told  his  mother, 
contained  *  very  explosive  elements.'  The  mutter- 
ings  of  the  storm  over  the  Jowett  stipend  were 
beginning  to  be  heard,  and  in  the  selection  of  senior 
students  by  the  new  body  of  electors,  already  men- 
tioned, serious  differences  of  opinion  prevailed.  And 
in  academical  matters  the  same  comradeship  was 
found.  There  were  many  battles  on  behalf  of  liberty 
to  be  fought   in   the  Hebdomadal  Council ;  and 


CH.  Vl] 


The  yowett  Question 


important  elections,  such  as  that  for  the  Boden 
Professorship  of  Sanskrit,  where  great  principles  were 
involved,  brought  the  need  of  skilful  handlingof  forces. 
The  Jowett  question  came  before  the  University  in 
its  various  phases.  Among  these  was  the  proposal 
to  endow  the  Chair  from  University  funds ;  this 
was  thrown  out.  Then  came  the  futile  prosecution 
of  the  Greek  Professor  for  heresy,  in  the  Vice- 
Chancellor's  Court,  by  Dr.  Pusey,  Dr.  Ogilvie,  and 
Dr.  Heurtley.  This  was  doomed  to  failure  from  the 
outset.  Stanley  preached  a  famous  sermon  before 
the  University  just  at  this  time,  on  Sexagesima 
Sunday,  1863,  in  which,  without  directly  referring 
to  the  event  which  was  present  to  the  minds  of  all 
his  audience,  he  spoke  of  the  evils  of  theological 
controversy,  and  laid  down  certain  rules  for  abating 
it.  The  first  rule  was  the  obvious  but  most 
necessary  maxim,  '  Never  condemn  a  book  unless 
you  have  read  it'  He  announced  and  enforced 
this  with  marked  emphasis.  On  that  same  evening 
the  present  writer  was  in  Stanley's  drawing-room, 
and  happened  to  take  up  a  volume  on  Church 
history  which  had  just  been  published.  He  ven- 
tured to  ask  his  host  what  sort  of  a  book  it 
was.  '  Oh,  it  is  not  worth  much,  it  is  not  worth 
much.'  And  then,  with  a  smile  of  inimitable  arch- 
ness, he  added,  'but  indeed  I  haven't  read  itM' 

^  The  details  of  the  long  controversy  relating  to  the  endowment  of 
the  Regius  Professorship  of  Greek  have  been  intentionally  omitted. 
They  may  be  read  in  the  memoirs  of  Dr.  Pusey  and  of  Mr.  Jowett.  For 
the  final  offer  of  Christ  Church  to  raise  the  payment  to  the  Chair  from 
£i,o  to  ^500  a  year  the  Dean  was  largely  responsible. 

B  b 


1 86        Deanery  of  Christ  Clmrch       [ch.  vi 


With  the  support  of  the  Dean,  in  the  Summer 
Term  of  the  same  year,  Stanley  had  proposed 
Charles  Kingsley  for  the  honorary  degree  of 
D.C.L.  This  proposal  was  resisted  by  Dr.  Pusey, 
who  charged  Mr.  Kingsley  with  the  heresy  of  uni- 
versalism,  and  also  with  having  written  Hypatia, 
a  book  not  fit  '  for  our  wives  and  sisters  to  read.' 
In  the  midst  of  the  distressing  controversy  which 
this  strange  accusation  involved,  came  the  sad  death 
of  the  Dean's  infant  son,  Stanley's  godson,  only  eight 
weeks  old. 

Stanley  wrote  at  once  : 

'  Most  truly  and  deeply  do  I  feel  for  you — for  you 
both.  The  recollection  of  that  former  loss  was  what 
made  us  all  so  fervently  rejoice  in  this  new  gift — 
so  graciously  sent,  as  it  seemed ;  so  graciously,  let 
us  hope,  taken  away.  What  can  I  do  for  you — 
I  or  my  sister  ?  Anything  that  you  wish,  to  ease 
you  or  Mrs.  Liddell  of  any  part  of  the  coming 
burden,  as  it  now  will  seem,  of  what  before  seemed 
such  a  bright  prospect.  I  sent  you  a  note  this 
morning  about  the  wretched  affair  of  Monday.  How 
different,  oh,  how  different  is  the  vexation,  grief, 
and  anxiety  of  things  in  which  one's  own  failings 
and  the  failings  of  others  are  involved,  and  the  pure 
peaceful  sorrow,  however  keen,  that  hangs  round  the 
death-bed  of  a  little  child  !  May  God  be  with  you  ! 
May  you  long  be  spared  to  us !  You  must  have 
seen  how  much  more  closely  the  events  and  trials 
of  the  last  year  have  drawn  us  together  ;  how  great 
and  constant  a  support  you  have  been  to  me.' 

From  Dr.  Pusey,  the  other  party  to  the  Kingsley 


CH.  VI]         Letter  from  Dr.  Pusey  187 


controversy,  there  came  at  the  same  time  a  letter 
to  Mrs.  Liddell : 

'  My  dear  Mrs.  Liddell, 

'  Human  sympathy  avails  but  little.  Yet  you 
will  let  me  express  mine  at  your  quick  bereave- 
ment of  the  little  one  whom  God  lent  you  for  so 
short  a  time.  It  is  a  sore  trial ;  only  our  good 
Father  knows  how  to  make  all  work  together  for 
good.  I  can  to  this  day  see  the  little  one  whom 
I  lost  above  thirty  years  ago,  just  as  she  sat  smiling 
then.  I  know  then  your  sorrow.  One  comfort 
alone  there  is,  that  God,  in  His  eternal  love,  created 
them  just  to  appear  in  this  redeemed  world,  and 
made  them  members  of  Christ  and  His  own  children, 
and  then  removed  them  spotless  for  that  mansion 
which  He  ever  in  His  love  intended  for  them, 
where  they  behold  Him  and  are  blessed  in  sight  of 
Him.  It  must  be  a  beautiful  band  of  souls  which, 
born  into  this  world  of  sin,  were  so  taken  away 
before  they  could  know  sin.  He  loved  your  child, 
whom  He  created  out  of  love,  better  than  you  could 
love  him;  and  has  provided  for  him,  as  He  knew 
to  be  best.    God  comfort  you  ! 

'  Yours  very  faithfully, 

'  E.  B.  Pusey.' 

The  Oxford  atmosphere  was  indeed  charged  at 
this  time  with  controversy,  and  Stanley's  chivalrous 
temper  would  not  allow  him  to  keep  silence  when 
the  reputation  of  a  friend  or  the  credit  of  an  un- 
popular cause  was  at  stake.  The  Dean  always 
shrank  from  such  conflicts.  Liddell  had  preached 
the  sermon  at   Stanley's   ordination  many  years 

B  b  2 


Deanery  of  Christ  Church 


[CH.  VI 


before :  and  often  in  conversation  with  friends 
would  Stanley  quote  the  words  which  in  1870  he 
printed  in  the  preface  to  his  Collected  Essays.  He 
there  wrote  : 

'  Nor  can  I  forbear  to  call  to  mind  a  solemn 
warning  which,  at  one  of  those  moments  in  life 
when  even  slight  things  are  remembered,  fell  from 
a  distinguished  preacher,  afterwards  a  dear  and 
honoured  friend,  who,  addressing  a  band  of  youth- 
ful candidates  for  ordination  in  the  Cathedral  at 
Oxford,  after  enumerating  the  great  realities  of 
theological  study  and  of  practical  life  which  ought 
to  occupy  the  thoughts  of  an  English  clergyman, 
added  impressive  words  to  this  effect :  "  Avoid  con- 
troversy, if  possible.  Few  have  ever  entered  into 
controversy  without  repenting  of  it.  I  might  enforce 
this  by  many  arguments.  But  I  will  content  myself 
with  repeating  what  I  have  already  said  :  few  have 
entered  into  controversy  without  repenting  of  it ".' 

Liddell,  on  reading  these  words,  wrote  as  follows: 

'  Let  me  thank  you  for  your  Collected  Essays, 
which  I  shall  read  again  with  instruction  and 
delight.  Especially  let  me  thank  you  for  the  kind 
and  generous  notice  which  you  have  taken  of  words 
uttered  by  me — ah  !  how  many  years  ago — words 
which  I  little  expected  to  see  revivified  at  the  end 
of  so  long  a  period.  When  I  wrote  and  spoke  them, 
I  had  not  in  my  mind  such  controversies  as  you  have 
been  engaged  in.  I  was  thinking  of  the  ordinary 
run  of  young  clerics  in  country  parishes,  where  solid 
work  and  study  of  a  positive  and  healthy  kind  are 
more  likely  to  produce  charity  and  largeness  of  mind 


CH.  Vl] 


Stanley  and  Westminster 


189 


than  devotion  to  controversy  with  nonconformists 
more  narrow-minded  perhaps  than  the  young  clerics 
themselves.  Of  course,  controversial  writing  is 
necessary,  and  (properly  conducted)  most  beneficial.' 

Stanley's  friendship  was  very  precious  to  the 
Dean;  and  when  the  time  came,  in  1863,  for  the 
inevitable  change  to  Westminster,  he  wrote  an  urgent 
letter  of  entreaty  that  he  would  even  then  consider 
the  possibility  of  remaining  at  Oxford.  Unfor- 
tunately, through  Stanley's  absence  from  England, 
the  letter  did  not  reach  him  before  his  final  choice 
was  irrevocably  made. 

'  I  apprehend  from  your  language  that  if  the 
Deanery  of  Westminster  falls  vacant,  you  know  it 
will  be  offered  you.  Well,  I  heartily  regret  it,  partly 
for  selfish  reasons,  no  doubt :  but  partly  because  I 
really  think  you  would  be  both  more  useful  and 
happier  in  your  Chair  at  Oxford.  Life  in  London, 
no  doubt,  has  its  bright  side  ;  but  to  live  perforce  for 
eight  months  in  Westminster  is  [experto  crede)  not 
an  enviable  lot.  Preaching  in  the  Abbey  will  give 
you  a  wide  scope  of  influence  ;  but  I  know  not  how 
far  your  physical  powers  will  be  adequate  to  fill 
that  vast  space;  and  I  much  question  whether  any 
influence  you  may  there  exert  will,  in  reality,  be 
nearly  so  great  as  that  which  you  have  at  Oxford. 
There,  at  best,  you  will  infuse  a  flavour  or  a  ferment- 
ing action  into  the  mass  ;  at  Oxford  you  create  the 
flavour  and  the  fermenting  leaven  itself  You  will 
have  a  seat  in  Convocation.  But  that  is  a  barren 
honour  ;  and  I  think  you  will  soon  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  time  spent  in  that  body  of  debate, 


igo        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 

not  action,  is  wasted  time.  Nor  will  you  be  more 
at  Her  Majesty's  service  at  Westminster  than  at 
Oxford ;  nay,  not  so  much.  For  being  bound  to  eight 
months'  residence,  and  desiring  (as  you  will  desire) 
some  time  for  travel,  the  time  at  your  command  will 
become  more  limited  than  at  present  it  is  \' 

When  the  matter  was  publicly  announced,  to- 
gether with  Stanley's  approaching  marriage  with 
Lady  Augusta  Bruce,  another  letter  from  Liddell 
expressed  exactly  his  feelings : 

'  On  your  intended  marriage  I  do  most  heartily 
and  exultingly  congratulate  you.  Since  you  lost 
her  whose  complete  union  with  you  was  to  me  one 
of  the  most  touching  and  lovely  traits  I  have  met 
with — even  in  you — I  felt  there  was  something 
wanted  "  to  free  the  hollow  heart  from  paining  "  ;  and 
I  felt  that,  under  the  circumstances,  even  in  your 
case  that  something  must  be  a  wife.  May  Lady 
Augusta  be  all  that  you  wish,  and  you  all  that  she 
hopes  ! 

'  But  here,  alas !  my  congratulations  end.  Neither 
for  you,  nor  for  us,  nor  for  any  one,  can  I  look  with 
pleasure  on  your  leaving  your  living  work  here  for 
the  dead  mass  that  will  meet  you  at  Westminster. 

 thinks  it  an  excellent  appointment,  because  it 

will  remove  you  from  Oxford.  So,  no  doubt,  think 
the  s  and  s,  and  "  hoc  genus  omne." 

Hoc  Ithacus  velit  et  magno  mercentur  Atridae. 

Pardon  my  unavailing  regrets.  You  receive  no 
more  honourable  testimony  than  the  universal  sorrow 

^  This  and  the  two  following  letters  have  been  already  published  in 
Mr.  Prothero's  memoir  of  Dean  Stanley. 


CH. VI]      Stanleys  Farewell  Sermon 


191 


of  your  friends  and  die  joy  of  your  non-friends  at 
your  promotion — though  "  promotion "  I  cannot 
call  it.' 

One  more  letter  must  be  quoted  ;  a  letter  written 
immediately  after  Stanley's  farewell  sermon  at  Christ 
Church  on  November  29,  1863  : 

'  My  best  and  dearest  friend, — How  have  you  torn 
open  afresh  all  the  wounds  which  the  news  of  your 
departure  caused !  I  can  scarcely  see  to  write — for 
tears. 

'  And  how  nobly  have  you  avenged  the  friends 
who  would  fain  have  continued  you  in  the  office  of 
teaching  good  and  giving  true  glory  to  God  in  this 
place.  I  wish  for  no  other  punishment  upon  those 
who  have  closed  our  pulpits  against  you  (for  the 
present — not  for  long,  I  am  confident),  than  that  they 
should  have  heard  you  to-day.' 

Never  again,  however,  till  the  first  Sunday  in  Lent 
1 87 1  did  Stanley  preach  before  the  University. 
Dean  Liddell  entered  on  his  office  as  Vice-Chancellor 
in  October  1870,  and  resolved  to  redress  this  injustice 
without  delay.  He  nominated  Stanley  to  preach 
the  annual  sermon  on  the  Jewish  Interpretation  of 
Prophecy  in  the  ensuing  Lent  Term,  having  appointed 
Dr.  Liddon  to  preach  on  the  previous  Sunday 
morning.    He  writes  to  his  father : 

'  Both  sermons  have  been  a  great  success. 
Liddon's  was  what  is  called  the  "  Humility"  sermon, 
always  preached  on  the  Sunday  morning  before  Ash 
Wednesday.  He  delivered  a  very  fine  discourse  to 
a  very  crowded  church,  though  the  Dean  of  St.  Paul's, 


192        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  w 


who  was  present,  pronounced  it  not  one  of  his  best. 
Stanley's  sermon  yesterday  afternoon  was  a  noble 
sermon.  The  church  was  again  crowded.  He  began 
by  saying  that  he  should  not  enlarge  on  the  Prin- 
ciples of  such  interpretation,  because  he  had  spoken 
on  that  subject  the  last  time  that  he  had  addressed 
a  University  audience,  nine  years  ago  I  These  last 
were  not  his  own  words.  Since  that  time,  except 
two  sermons  in  Christ  Church '  Cathedral,  he  has 
been  silenced,  so  far  as  the  University  is  concerned. 
The  Archbishop  of  York,  who  was  present,  said 
it  was  a  perfect  scandal  to  the  University  that 
it  should  be  so.' 

In  Michaelmas  Term  1872  Stanley  was  nominated 
by  the  Board  appointed  for  the  purpose  as  one  of 
the  Select  Preachers  for  the  ensuing  year.  Dean 
Liddell  was  still  Vice-Chancellor,  and  in  virtue  of 
his  office  was  chairman  of  this  Board ;  and  each 
name,  after  receiving  his  approval,  had  to  obtain 
the  sanction  of  Convocation.  It  must  be  acknow- 
ledged that  at  this  time  Stanley  had  deliberately 
brought  himself  into  even  more  than  usual  an- 
tagonism  with  Churchmen,  by  his  proceedings  in 
connexion  with  what  was  called  the  '  Westminster 
Communion,'  and  by  his  fierce  denunciations  in 
the  Lower  House  of  the  'damnatory  clauses'  of 
the  Athanasian  Creed,  and  his  contemptuous  criti- 
cism of  those  who  by  explanatory  notes  would 
attempt  '  to  draw  out  the  teeth  of  this  old  lion,  who 
sits  there  in  his  majesty,  and  defies  any  explanation 
to  take  out  his  fierce  and  savag-e  fang^s.'  But  the 
more  sagacious  leaders  of  the  Church  party,  though 


cH.vi]  Opposition  to  Stanley  as  Select  Preacher  193 

offended  and  distressed,  saw  the  unwisdom  of  con- 
testing his  appointment.  It  was  left  to  Mr.  Burgon, 
and  four  other  members  of  Convocation,  to  lead 
the  opposition  and  summon  the  non-residents 
to  vote.  Some  characteristic  letters — afterwards 
published — were  written  by  Burgon  to  Liddell  as 
Vice-Chancellor,  and  received  from  him  short  but 
courteous  replies,  simply  pointing  out  that  the 
opposition  to  Stanley  was  in  effect  a  vote  of  censure 
on  the  Board  of  nomination,  and  on  himself  in 
particular.  The  effort  to  prevent  the  appointment 
ended  in  failure  ;  it  was  carried  by  349  to  287  votes. 
As  a  final  protest  against  '  the  unfaithfulness  to  the 
truth  of  God  which  the  University  manifested  by  its 
vote,'  the  Dean  of  Norwich  (Dr.  Goulburn)  resigned 
his  post  as  Select  Preacher. 

On  receiving  the  news  of  the  result  Stanley  wrote 
to  Liddell : 

'  You  will  have  known,  without  my  saying  it,  that 
I  was  more  anxious  for  you  than  for  myself,  and 
more  anxious  for  the  University  and  the  Church 
than  for  either  of  us.  And  now  it  seems  like  a 
sudden  return  into  an  unlooked-for  haven  of  peace. 

'  For  me,  I  can  truly  say  that  even  if  there  had 
been  any  personal  annoyance — which  there  was 
not — it  would  have  been  a  hundred-fold  repaid  by 
the  kindness  of  my  friends.  Even  the  single  vote  of 
Dr.  Lushington  will  be  to  me  "a  joy  for  ever^"  I 
wish  that  I  could  find  some  means  of  expressing  my 
gratitude.    I  fear  there  is  none,  except  to  do  the 

'  Dr.  Lushington,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one,  travelled  from  London 
to  record  his  vote  for  Stanley. 

C  C 


194        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 

best  I  can  to  justify  the  appointment.  This,  as  well 
as  so  much  else,  I  owe  to  you.  May  God  bless  you 
for  it,  and  preserve  you  long  among  us.  By  accident, 
according  to  a  long  engagement,  I  had  to  give  a 
lecture  last  night  to  a  very  homely  audience  in 
Southwark,  and  took  the  Bishop  of  Manchester  with 
me.  After  the  lecture,  as  you  will  see  briefly 
reported  in  the  Times,  in  a  capital  speech  he  took 
up  the  event  of  the  day.  It  was  the  first  allusion 
to  it,  but  the  audience  quite  understood,  and  the 
cheers  were  a  good  echo  of  those  in  the  Oxford 
Theatre.' 

It  has  been  shown  that  in  the  Chapter  at  Christ 
Church  there  were  men  of  very  various  types  of 
character,  among  whom  there  were  likely  to  be  many 
serious  differences  of  opinion.  And  so  it  was  with  the 
new  Governing  Body  established  in  1867.  A  skilful 
guidance  was  needed  if  collisions  were  to  be  averted 
and  business  profitably  transacted.  Dean  Liddell 
was  pre-eminently  good  as  a  chairman.  His  personal 
dignity  was  itself  a  sufficient  assertion  of  authority. 
He  was  fair  to  every  one.  He  never  spoke  much, 
but  never  allowed  debate  to  wander.  He  focussed 
opinion,  and  at  the  right  moment  elicited  a  decision, 
often  drafting  a  resolution  which  happily  embodied 
the  gist  of  the  conclusion  at  which  the  discussion 
pointed.  He  was  very  patient  of  tedious  speakers, 
and  would  solace  himself  by  taking  out  his  gold 
pen,  and  after  wiping  it  carefully  on  the  sleeve 
of  his  gown  (his  invariable  practice)  would  draw 
wondrous  landscapes  on  the  pink  blotting  paper 
which  lay  before  him,  while  the  stream  of  talk 


CH.  Vl] 


Blotting-paper  Sketches 


195 


flowed  on.  Churches,  castles,  bridges,  ruined  keeps 
and  ivy-clad  walls,  woodland  and  river  scenes,  in 
endless  variety,  were  the  outcome  of  dreary  sessions 
of  the  innumerable  committees  which  Oxford  crowds 
into  the  afternoons  of  its  all  too  brief  Terms.  Many 
hundred  sketches  from  his  pen  are  still  treasured 
up  by  his  friends ;  he  would  leave  them  on  the 
table  at  the  end  of  a  meeting,  and  some  admirer 
would  carry  them  off,  and  well  worth  preservation 
they  were. 

The  services  of  so  excellent  a  chairman  and 
so  practical  a  man  of  business  were  constantly  in 
demand  for  University  and  civic  matters,  and  in- 
volved many  engagements  in  addition  to  the  duties 
within  the  walls  of  Christ  Church,  The  citizens 
claimed  his  assistance  to  guide  them  in  the  difficult 
work  of  the  drainage  of  Oxford  ;  and  he  took  a  very 
deep  interest  in  the  questions  which  arose  from  time 
to  time  in  relation  to  the  prevention  of  floods  in  the 
Thames  valley.  His  counsel  was  always  sought 
for :  so  great  and  universal  was  the  respect  paid 
to  his  methodical  and  business-like  habits,  and  to 
his  sound  and  unbiassed  judgment. 

Work  such  as  this  was  entirely  congenial  to  the 
Dean.  He  liked  to  have  to  deal  with  practical 
matters  ;  they  were  a  recreation,  by  their  very  con- 
trast to  his  other  duties.  In  the  midst  of  his  letters 
to  Scott  about  minute  corrections  in  the  Lexicon, 
one  comes  upon  questions,  equally  minute,  con- 
cerning the  drainage  of  a  town  near  which  his 
correspondent  happened  to  be  spending  his  vacation. 

c  c  2 


196        Deanery  of  Christ  Chtwch       [ch.  vi 


He  requires  to  be  informed  as  to  whether  the  town 
has  been  lately  drained,  and  by  whom ;  what  is  the 
population  of  the  area  dealt  with  ;  what  is  the 
length  and  size  (sectional)  of  the  main  outfall  sewer, 
and  what  the  size  of  the  secondary  sewers ;  what  has 
been  the  expense  per  head  of  the  works  ;  and  whether 
the  engineer  employed  has  given  satisfaction  in 
point  of  attention  and  economy.  And  when  the 
unhappy  lexicographer  had  replied  as  well  as 
he  could  to  such  unexpected  and  bewildering  in- 
quiries, he  received  another  long  letter,  containing 
an  elaborate  contrast  between  two  classes  of  engineers 
— those  who  deal  with  water-works,  and  those  con- 
versant with  drainage  schemes.  On  one  occasion 
Sir  Henry  Acland  brought  to  Christ  Church  a 
learned  German  professor  who  was  very  anxious 
to  have  a  sight  of  the  famous  writer  of  the  Lexicon. 
On  inquiring  for  him  at  the  Deanery,  they  were  told 
that  he  was  in  Christ  Church  Meadow.  They  went 
thither,  but  he  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  On  asking 
a  workman  whether  he  had  been  seen  there,  '  Oh, 
yes,'  said  the  man, '  he  has  just  gone  down  the  drain.' 
An  adjacent  man-hole  was  then  approached,  and 
in  answer  to  a  call,  a  loud  voice  was  heard  from 
below,  and  soon  the  majestic  head  emerged  from 
the  lower  depths.  The  German  professed  himself 
more  than  satisfied,  and  declared  that  he  had  never 
before  seen  a  famous  scholar  amid  such  peculiar 
surroundings. 

In  the  drainage  of  the  Thames  valley  Liddell 
had  taken  a  deep  interest  from  the  time  of  his 


CH.  VI]        Thames  Valley  Drainage  197 


return  to  Oxford  in  1855.  Many  evils  attended 
the  frequent  recurrence  of  winter  floods,  but  it  was 
difficult  to  find  a  remedy.  At  last,  after  committees 
had  spent  many  years  in  discussing  various  schemes, 
Sir  John  Hawkshaw  was  instructed  to  prepare  a 
report;  and  the  plan  which  he  recommended  in  1882 
involved  very  considerable  undertakings.  A  new 
and  more  direct  channel  was  to  be  cut  for  the 
Cherwell  at  its  junction  with  the  Thames ;  and 
Iffley  Lock  was  to  be  removed.  This  last  proposal 
would  render  necessary  the  dredging  of  the  river 
above  Iffley,  and  many  subsidiary  works. 

It  was  natural  that  the  proposed  abolition  of  Iffley 
Lock  should  provoke  fierce  opposition,  not  only  from 
all  lovers  of  the  river,  but  also  from  the  City 
authorities,  who  owned  the  water-works  and  dreaded 
the  consequences  of  the  lowering  of  the  water-level. 
But  the  favourable  reception  which  the  scheme  as 
a  whole  met  with  at  first,  and  the  generous  promise 
of  subscriptions  from  residents  in  Oxford  and 
riparian  owners,  emboldened  the  Dean,  in  company 
with  the  Master  of  Balliol,  Mr.  Jowett,  then  Vice- 
Chancellor,  to  enter  into  a  formal  agreement  with 
the  Thames  Valley  Drainage  Commissioners,  by 
which  this  body  undertook  to  carry  out  Sir  John 
Hawkshaw's  scheme  in  its  entirety  for  a  sum  of 

1 4,000,  payable  by  instalments  spread  over  three 
years.  For  this  sum  the  Vice-Chancellor  and  the 
Dean  made  themselves  personally  responsible.  The 
scheme,  however,  was  only  partially  executed.  The 
new  mouth  to  the  Cherwell,  now  called  the  Vice- 


198        Deanery  of  Christ  Chtirch       [CH.  VI 


Chancellor's  Cut,  was  opened ;  but  in  the  face  of 
the  strong  opposition  aroused,  it  was  found  im- 
possible to  complete  the  work  of  the  removal  of 
Iffley  Lock.  The  Dean  and  Mr.  Jowett  had  paid 
;^3,6oo  to  the  Commissioners,  and  had  no  legal 
claim  to  be  re-imbursed ;  but  the  subscribers  con- 
sented to  the  repayment  to  them  of  this  sum,  and 
the  balance  of  the  money  subscribed  was  returned. 
The  result  of  the  work  has  been  to  carry  off  the 
flood-water  from  the  Cherwell  valley  with  greater 
rapidity  than  before;  and  although  Iffley  Lock  still 
remains,  the  Thames  valley  has  experienced  con- 
siderable benefit  from  the  widening  of  the  weirs, 
which  enables  the  flood- water  to  pass  away  more 
quickly. 

Among  the  recommendations  of  the  first  Oxford 
University  Commission  had  been  the  establishment 
of  a  class  of  students  unattached  to  any  college 
or  hall,  but  in  all  other  respects  members  of  the 
University,  and  subject  to  proper  supervision  in 
regard  to  studies  and  discipline.  Of  this  scheme 
Liddell  had  always  been  an  advocate,  and  it  was 
largely  due  to  his  personal  efforts  that  it  was  carried 
into  effect  in  1868  and  successfully  developed.  The 
Dean  of  Durham,  who  was  the  first  Censor  of  the 
Scholares  non  ascripii,  writes  gratefully  of  the  help 
which  he  gave  : 

'  Liddell  was  the  true  founder  and  friend  of  that 
body.  All  the  success  of  the  movement,  first  re- 
commended by  him,  was  due  to  his  clear-headed 
advice  and  guidance.    For  he  always  stood  by  these 


CH.  Vl] 


Scholares  non  ascripti 


199 


poor  lads,  and  did  much  to  create  a  friendly  feeling 
for  them  in  the  Hebdomadal  Council  and  among 
the  leading  members  of  the  University.  This  it 
was  that  carried  the  feeble  society  through  the 
difficult  years  of  its  childhood,  and  indeed  assured 
to  it  its  present  permanent  state.' 

With  his  warm  approval  the  ancient  Congregation 
House  adjoining  St.  Mary's  Church  was  fitted  up 
as  a  place  for  the  common  worship  of  the  non- 
collegiate  students ;  and  when  in  later  years  it  was 
found  practicable  to  build  proper  accommodation  for 
them,  he  cordially  supported  the  Master  of  Balliol 
in  promoting  the  erection  of  the  present  convenient 
blockof  buildings, adjoining  the  Examination  Schools, 
where  a  handsome  library  and  lecture-rooms,  as  well 
as  offices  for  the  Censor  and  his  staff,  have  been 
provided  at  considerable  cost. 

To  describe  with  any  completeness  the  public 
services  of  Dean  Liddell  in  matters  affecting  the 
interests  of  the  University  would  almost  entail 
the  writing  of  a  history  of  Oxford  for  a  period  of 
more  than  thirty-five  years.  During  the  whole  of 
his  tenure  of  the  Deanery,  with  one  short  interval, 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Hebdomadal  Council,  for 
he  was  first  elected  in  1855  to  fill  a  chance  vacancy, 
and  from  1858  to  1891  he  served  upon  it  without 
interruption.  With  that  Council  rests  the  initiative 
of  all  academical  legislation.  For  all  the  changes — 
many  of  them  of  a  very  important  and  even  funda- 
mental kind — which  were  effected  during  that  long 
period  he  was  largely  responsible,  for  he  exercised 


200        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 


a  remarkable  influence  over  the  deliberations  of  the 
Council,  and  gradually  emerged  from  the  position 
of  a  party  representative  and  came  to  be  regarded 
by  the  whole  University  with  a  singular  respect. 
He  combined  the  knowledge,  experience,  good 
sense,  courtesy,  and  impartiality  which  are  invaluable 
on  all  important  deliberative  and  executive  bodies. 
He  became  a  Curator  of  the  Bodleian  Library  in 
i860,  just  at  the  time  when  his  close  personal  friend 
H.  O.  Coxe  was  appointed  Bodley's  Librarian.  To 
both  Coxe  and  his  successor,  the  present  Librarian, 
he  gave  loyal  and  constant  support.  In  the  records 
of  the  Library  indeed  no  great  reforms  are  associated 
with  his  name ;  but  he  seems  to  have  been  always 
on  the  side  of  progress,  and  to  have  supported  the 
late  Master  of  Balliol  in  developing  the  resources 
of  the  Library  and  rendering  its  vast  stores  more 
accessible  to  scholars.  He  was  also  instrumental 
in  transferring  some  of  its  artistic  treasures  to  the 
University  Galleries. 

It  should  be  added  that  from  1857  onwards  he 
was  a  Delegate  of  the  University  Museum ;  a 
Curator  of  the  University  Galleries  from  1858; 
a  Delegate  of  the  Press  from  1861.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  Commissioner  under  the  Local 
Government  Board  Act,  and  a  Curator  of  the 
University  Chest.  In  all  these  offices  his  services 
were  of  the  utmost  value  ;  but  it  would  be  weari- 
some to  describe  his  work  in  detail.  It  will  suffice, 
as  an  illustration  of  its  character  and  importance, 
to  quote  two  letters  written  by  men  who  are  well 


CH.  Vl] 


Delegate  of  the  Press 


20I 


qualified  to  estimate  his  merits,  shown  in  two  very 
different  spheres  of  labour,  both  congenial  to  him. 
Mr.  Lyttelton  Gell,  for  many  years  Secretary  to  the 
Delegates  of  the  Press,  thus  describes  his  services 
on  that  body  : 

'  The  Dean  first  attended  the  Board  on  June  14, 
1 86 1,  and  the  last  meeting  at  which  he  was  present 
was  on  December  18,  1891.  It  was  only  during 
the  last  quarter  of  this  period — from  the  autumn 
of  1884 — that  I  had  personal  experience  of  his  in- 
valuable influence  upon  the  Board  ;  before  that 
time  my  impressions  are  gathered  from  frequent 
reference  to  the  Press  records. 

'  To  t?ie  undergraduates  of  my  own  generation 
the  Dean  had  been  //l^?  Vice-Chancellor — an  Olympian 
figure,  far  removed  ;  and  it  was  not  until  after  some 
experience  of  Boards  and  business  in  London  that 
I  had  the  opportunity  of  realizing  week  by  week 
across  a  narrow  table  his  remarkable  sagacity  both 
in  literary  and  in  business  problems. 

'  In  his  earlier  years  the  Press  had  owed  much 
to  his  initiative ;  but  to  me,  meeting  him  first  in 
Press  business  when  he  was  already  past  seventy, 
the  Dean  appeared  not  so  much  then  as  an  initiator, 
but  rather  as  the  pivot  about  which  affairs  revolved, 
as  the  Nestor  who  was  steeped  in  accumulated 
experience,  and  whose  judgment  as  to  the  wisest 
way  of  handling  the  staff,  of  transacting  business, 
and  of  dealing  with  administrative  questions,  was 
invariably  accepted.  He  understood  the  value  of 
method,  and  of  reference  to  fixed  and  pre-determined 
principles  in  the  conduct  of  large  affairs.  Con- 
sequently one  learnt  to  lean  upon  him  as  a  rock 

D  d 


202         Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [CH.  VI 


of  consistency,  as  the  man  who  would  stem  the 
hasty  stampede  from  a  settled  policy,  and  arrest 
the  snap-decisions  which  are  the  weakness  of  a 
Board  so  constituted.  He  represented  a  certain 
tradition  which  embodied  the  experience  of  a  remark- 
able knot  of  Delegates  by  whom  the  Press,  as  we 
know  it,  had  been  built  up  and  prepared  for  its  im- 
mense and  profitable  expansion  dating  from  Jowett's 
Vice-Chancellorship,  Henry  Smith,  Mark  Pattison, 
and  the  present  Dean  of  Westminster  had  not  long 
disappeared  from  the  Board  when  my  experience 
began  ;  and  (omitting  all  reference  to  existing  Dele- 
gates) the  Bishops  of  Salisbury  and  Hereford,  Arch- 
deacon Palmer  and  Alfred  Robinson,  were  then  still 
amongst  their  number.  The  Dean  was  very  tenacious 
of  certain  forms  and  methods  which  then  governed 
the  conduct  of  the  Delegacy ;  and  though  to  one 
fresh  from  business  in  London  they  seemed  at  first 
rather  restrictive,  yet  I  soon  valued  his  wise  in- 
sistence upon  "  the  customs  of  the  Board."  The 
periodic  arrivals  of  a  new  Chairman  or  new  Delegates, 
necessarily  inexperienced  in  the  business  referred 
to  them,  and  sometimes  inspired  with  all  the  self- 
confidence  and  precipitation  which  ignorance  of 
wider  considerations  begets,  fully  justified  the  Dean's 
attitude ;  and  fortunately  his  authority  was  such, 
and  his  impartiality  so  absolute,  that  he  had  but 
to  state  that  such  a  course  or  such  a  precedent 
should  be  followed,  for  every  one  to  acquiesce. 

'His  judgment  was  as  sound  in  the  literary  as 
in  the  administrative  sphere.  He  not  only  dis- 
cerned what  was  good  from  what  was  bad,  but  also 
he  had  consistent  views  as  to  what  (apart  from  the 
question  of  intrinsic  merit)  it  was  wise  for  the  Dele- 


CH.  Vl] 


Delegate  of  the  Press 


203 


gates  to  publish,  and  what  not.  Further,  he  knew 
the  book  which  was  worth  improving,  and  many 
a  proof-sheet  profited  by  his  taste  and  accuracy. 
To  him,  as  Chairman  of  the  School-books  Committee, 
assisted  by  its  Secretary,  the  present  Dean  Kitchin, 
the  excellent  little  "  Clarendon  Press  Series "  owed 
much  of  its  value.  Himself  a  consummate  critic, 
he  helped  to  plan  the  volumes  and  to  annotate  them, 
and  often  revised  the  proof-sheets  with  his  own 
hand.  He  was  especially  interested  in  the  school 
editions  of  the  great  English  writers  which  marked 
an  epoch  in  educational  views.  English  Literature 
indeed,  like  English  Philology,  always  evoked  his 
keen  sympathy.  He  was  assiduous  in  his  care  for 
the  progress  of  the  New  English  Dictionary ,  though 
perhaps  his  practical  views  made  him  uneasy  at  the 
expansion  of  its  scale  ;  and  he  always  regretted  that 
the  University  had  become  pledged  to  so  huge  an 
expenditure  without  more  precise  information  as 
to  the  state  of  the  materials  at  the  outset  of  the 
negotiations  with  the  Philological  Society  in  1877. 
Looking  back  upon  my  recollections  of  his  attitude 
towards  the  various  projects  which  came  before  the 
Board,  it  seems  to  me  that  he  attached  a  greater 
value  to  work  in  Teutonic  Philology  than  to  Latin 
and  Greek  scholarship.  The  labours  of  Skeat, 
Earle,  Sweet,  Brachet,  and  Vigfusson  were  certain 
of  his  special  sympathy,  and  to  Vigfusson  in  particular 
he  was  a  never-failing  friend. 

'  Towards  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  Board's 
undertakings,  the  Revised  Version,  he  always  seemed 
to  maintain  a  considerable  reserve.  The  financial 
arrangements  with  the  Revisers  were  made  while 
he  presided  as  Vice-Chancellor,  so  that  there  is 

D  d  2 


204 


Deaitery  of  Christ  Church 


[CH.  VI 


every  reason  to  assume  that  he  concurred  in  the 
enterprise,  though  I  entertain  the  impression  that 
he  was  dissatisfied  with  the  result,  at  any  rate  as 
regards  the  New  Testament. 

'  I  had  heard  from  the  Dean,  when  he  began  to 
consider  his  retirement,  that  the  Press  would  be  the 
last  of  his  University  responsibilities  which  he  would 
lay  down  ;  and  in  fact  the  last  University  Board 
which  he  attended  was  that  of  the  Press  Delegacy, 
upon  which  he  had  through  more  than  thirty  years 
rendered  such  invaluable  service.  I  met  him  in 
the  Bodleian  Quadrangle  as  he  arrived,  and  he 
told  me  that  when  the  meeting  rose  his  final  labour 
for  the  University  would  have  been  accomplished. 

'  Oxford  memories  are  so  short,  that  most  people 
nowadays  take  the  Press  for  granted,  and  imagine 
that  its  reputation  has  always  stood  where  it  does, 
that  it  has  always  turned  out  plenty  of  important 
and  well-printed  books,  and  always  contributed  from 
;^5000  to  ^10,000  a  year  to  the  University  Chest. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  these  thirty  years  represented 
a  revolution.  At  the  outset  of  the  Dean's  experi- 
ence the  Press  was  comparatively  a  small  concern. 
Its  publications  were  few  and  far  between,  and 
the  possibility  of  deriving  a  regular  annual  income 
from  the  Press  for  University  purposes  was  not 
established  until  Jowett's  Vice-Chancellorship, 
1882-6.  Similarly  there  was  a  certain  disposition 
to  take  the  Dean  for  granted,  and  to  assume  his 
qualities  and  his  influence  as  part  of  the  order  of 
things.  Doubtless  his  own  modesty  and  his  re- 
luctance to  assert  the  authority  which  he  possessed 
tended  to  this  result.  His  influence  was  often 
almost  intangible,  the  mere  outcome  of  his  presence. 


CH.  VI]  Gudbrand  Vigfusson  205 


For  he  was  one  of  those  men  who  affected  every- 
thing for  the  better,  morally  and  practically,  out  of 
sheer  high  principle,  without  any  vanity,  antagonism, 
or  self-seeking.  Other  people  might  claim  the 
actual  credit  for  what  the  Dean  had  in  reality 
rendered  possible.  It  is  absolutely  not  conceivable 
to  imagine  him  claiming  for  himself  the  credit  of 
anything,  a  characteristic  which  makes  it  all  the 
greater  pleasure  to  indicate  the  remarkable  value 
of  his  services.  He  remained  Olympian — too  high- 
minded  to  be  touched  with  combativeness,  or  jealousy, 
or  self-assertion,  too  shy  and  reserved  to  be  eager 
to  urge  his  own  opinion,  or  even  to  express  it  unless 
it  was  essential,  yet  too  wise  and  public-spirited  to 
stand  aloof,  if  his  judgment,  saturated  with  long 
experience,  told  him  that  the  right  decision  was 
trembling  in  the  balance.' 

The  name  of  Vigfusson  recalls  a  pathetic  history, 
which  is  best  told  in  the  Dean's  own  language. 

'About  the  year  1864  I  received  a  letter  from 
Mr.  (now  Sir  George)  Dasent,  desiring  to  interest 
me  in  the  publication  by  the  Clarendon  Press  of 
an  Icelandic  Dictionary.  Mr.  Cleasby,  brother  of 
Mr.  Justice  Cleasby,  had  lived  many  years  in 
Scandinavian  lands,  and  had  made  large  collections 
for  the  purpose  of  a  Dictionary  of  the  most  ancient 
and  most  classical  tongue  of  the  Norse  nations. 
Mr.  Dasent  was  well  known  as  a  Norse  scholar ; 
and  he  proposed  to  himself  to  arrange  Mr.  Cleasby's 
materials  and  see  the  book  through  the  press.  To  do 
the  rough  work  and  assist  in  the  arrangement  he  had 
engaged  a  young  Icelandic  scholar,  who  had  studied 
philology  at  Copenhagen  and  taken  his  Doctor's 


2o6        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 


degree  at  that  University,  by  name  Gudbrand 
Vigfusson.  The  work  was  proposed  by  me  to 
the  Delegates  of  the  Press,  and  accepted  by  them. 
It  entailed  much  vexation  and  no  little  labour  on 
us,  which  fell  chiefly  on  me.  Vigfusson  came  to 
Oxford,  and  was  practically  left  to  deal  with 
Cleasby's  work  single-handed.  He  found  it  in 
great  part  a  chaos,  and  he  often  told  me  that  he 
could  have  done  his  task  better  and  with  less 
labour  had  he  started  de  novo.  He  was  a  thorough 
scholar,  worked  like  a  horse,  and  was  altogether 
a  capital  fellow.  But  his  English  was  very  defective, 
though  he  did  not  like  to  acknowledge  this,  and 
was  apt  to  be  more  diffuse  than  necessary.  For 
many  weeks  he  used  to  come  to  me  every  morning 
at  ten,  with  some  pages  which  he  had  prepared, 
and  I  worked  at  them  with  him  for  an  hour.  This 
regularity  of  work  was  interrupted  sometimes  by 
official  duties,  and  vacations  came  when  it  was 
necessary  to  revise  his  work  by  post.  But  I  con- 
tinued to  toil  through  every  page,  often  twice  ;  and 
after  much  trouble  the  book  was  eventually  published 
in  1874.  The  short  preface  which  I  wrote  is 
dated  1869. 

'  After  the  completion  of  the  Dictionary  I  saw 
little  of  Vigfusson.  He  became  acquainted  with 
York  Powell,  the  present  Professor  of  Modern 
History  at  Oxford,  and  assisted  by  him  published 
the  "  Sturlunga  Saga  "  at  the  Clarendon  Press. 

'  Poor  fellow !  he  died  of  a  liver  complaint  in 
1889.  I  visited  him  while  he  was  being  nursed 
at  the  Sarah  Acland  Home  in  Wellington  Square. 
He  fully  appreciated  the  attention  and  comfort  of 
the  Home.    He  left  me  by  his  will  the  gold  ring 


CH.  VI]  Vigfussoiis  Gratitude  207 


which  was  the  symbol  of  his  Doctor's  degree  at 
Upsala.  I  wore  it  constantly,  and  intended  that 
on  my  death  it  should  be  given  to  York  Powell. 
But  I  have  unfortunately  lost  it.  It  flew  from  my 
finger  when  I  was  stripping  rhododendron  bushes 
of  their  seed-vessels  in  the  garden  at  Ascot,  and 
I  failed  to  find  it.' 

It  should  be  added  that  shortly  before  his  death, 
Vigfdsson  presented,  with  other  books,  an  Icelandic 
Bible  (Bishop  Gudbrand's,  1584)  to  the  Library  of 
Christ  Church,  accompanied  by  a  memorandum 
written  by  Mr.  York  Powell,  but  signed  by  himself. 
He  says  : 

*  These  books  I  wish  in  my  lifetime  to  give  to 
the  Library  of  Christ  Church,  there  to  be  preserved 
and  remain  as  a  remembrance  of  my  grateful  feeling 
towards  Christ  Church  and  those  of  her  members 
herein  named  in  especial.  First  to  the  Dean,  for 
his  well-timed  protection  in  1867,  without  which 
the  Icelandic  Dictionary  would  undoubtedly  have 
broken  down,  and  also  for  the  constant,  untiring, 
and  experienced  supervision  which  he  gave  to  the 
Dictionary  from  first  to  last ;  which  I  wish  to  record, 
though  he  himself  would  be  unwilling  to  have  it 
known ;  for  no  one  knows,  and  no  one  can  ever 
know,  how  much  the  Dictionary,  as  it  stands,  owes 
to  the  Dean  of  Christ  Church.' 

Then,  after  mention  of  the  kindness  and  assistance 
given  him  by  Dr.  Kitchin  and  Mr.  York  Powell, 
he  says : 

'  By  a  strange  coincidence,  all  three  are  Christ 
Church  men.'    And  he  concludes,  '  I  wish  this 


2o8        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 


memorandum  to  be  affixed  to  Bishop  Gudbrand's 
Bible,  and  therein  to  remain,  as  a  record  of  my 
deep-felt  gratitude.    G,  V.' 

To  the  value  of  the  Dean's  services  at  the 
University  Galleries,  no  one  is  better  qualified  to 
bear  testimony  than  one  of  his  younger  colleagues 
on  that  Board,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Woods,  late  President 
of  Trinity  College,  who  writes  as  follows  : 

'Among  the  many  services  for  which  the  Univer- 
sity has  reason  to  be  grateful  to  Dean  Liddell,  not 
the  least  important  is  the  work  which  he  did  as 
Curator  of  the  University  Galleries — work  which 
I  have  heard  him  say  was  one  of  the  pleasures  of 
his  life.  For  more  than  thirty  years  he  was  an 
active  member  of  the  Board,  and  to  his  initiative 
and  administration  were  largely  due  the  im_prove- 
ments  effected  during  that  period.  He  was  appointed 
Curator  shortly  after  his  return  to  Oxford,  on  the 
death  in  1858  of  Mr.  Sneyd,  Warden  of  All  Souls 
College.  The  University  Galleries  were  at  that 
time  a  recent  institution.  The  building,  one  of 
Cockerell's  finest  and  most  original  works,  had  been 
opened  in  1845,  "^"^^  interior  must  have  presented 
at  first  a  somewhat  bare  appearance,  though  the 
original  models  for  the  principal  works  of  Sir  F. 
Chantrey,  presented  by  his  widow  in  1842,  served 
to  furnish  part  of  the  lower  floor,  and  portraits  from 
the  Bodleian  Library,  many  of  which  have  since 
been  returned,  were  hung  in  the  Picture  Gallery 
above.  The  deficiencies  of  the  new  institution 
were,  however,  soon  supplemented.  During  the  ten 
years  which  immediately  succeeded  its  opening, 
more    than   eighty   oil-paintings    (including  good 


cH.  VI]  Curator  of  University  Galleries  209 


examples  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  and  of  the  Dutch 
and  early  Italian  Schools)  were  acquired  by  donation 
or  bequest.  The  growth  of  the  collection  of  prints 
and  drawings  was  even  more  rapid.  In  1845  the 
priceless  series  of  drawings  by  Michael  Angelo  and 
Raffaello  was  purchased  by  a  public  subscription 
(towards  which  the  second  Earl  of  Eldon  contributed 
^4000),  and  placed  in  the  Galleries.  This  gift  was 
supplemented  by  a  loan  from  the  Bodleian  Library 
of  the  fine  collection  of  German  and  other  prints 
and  drawings  which  had  been  bequeathed  to  it  in 
1834  by  Mr.  F.  Douce ;  while  in  1855  Mr.  Chambers 
Hall,  in  addition  to  a  previous  gift  of  pictures, 
presented  a  large  number  of  prints  and  drawings, 
including  a  valuable  series  of  Rembrandt  etchings. 

'On  his  appointment  then  as  Curator  in  1858 
Dean  Liddell  found  the  University  Galleries  in 
possession  of  a  fair  collection  of  pictures,  and  of 
a  large  mass  of  prints  and  drawings,  many  of  them 
very  recently  acquired,  and  merely  put  away  in 
cupboards  to  await  arrangement.  It  is  obvious 
that  the  rapid  growth  of  the  collections  must  have 
far  outstripped  the  possibility  of  properly  dealing 
with  them  at  the  time.  The  first  duty  of  a  Curator 
under  these  circumstances  is  to  make  himself 
acquainted  with  the  contents  of  his  collections,  and 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  Dean  spent  much 
time  over  his  work.  Notes  in  his  handwriting  on 
the  wrappers  of  the  Douce  prints  and  Rembrandt 
etchings  show  that  he  worked  through  them  more 
than  once,  and  quite  towards  the  end  of  his  time 
at  Oxford  I  remember  how  clear  and  accurate  was 
his  knowledge  of  many  of  the  prints  and  drawings. 
Without  his  knowledge  and  taste  and  trained  eye 

E  e 


2IO        Deanery  of  Christ  Chttrch       [ch.  vi 


it  would  have  been  doubly  difficult  to  make  any 
progress  with  the  arranging,  cataloguing,  and  mount- 
ing which  were  so  urgently  needed.  At  that  time 
there  were  only  three  Curators  besides  Bodley's 
Librarian,  who  was  constituted  an  official  Curator 
so  long  as  the  Galleries  contained  any  work  of  art 
belonging  to  the  Library,  and  who  naturally  concerned 
himself  mainly  with  the  safe  custody  of  these  objects. 
Dean  Liddell's  colleagues  in  1858  were  Dr.  Cardwell, 
Principal  of  St.  Alban  Hall,  and  Dr.  Wellesley, 
Principal  of  New  Inn  Hall.  Dr.  Cardwell  was  then 
old,  and  Dr.  Wellesley,  though  a  man  of  fine  taste, 
as  is  evident  from  the  important  collection  of  prints 
and  drawings  which  he  made,  does  not  seem  to  have 
spent  much  time  or  trouble  on  the  Galleries,  so  that 
the  chief  burden  of  the  work  must  have  fallen  on 
the  Dean.  Considerable  progress,  however,  was 
made  in  the  direction  of  sorting,  cataloguing,  and 
mounting  many  of  the  prints,  though  the  Curators 
were  hampered  by  the  small  means  at  their  disposal. 
A  short  catalogue  of  the  pictures  was  also  prepared 
by  Mr.  Joseph  Fisher,  the  first  keeper  of  the 
Galleries,  who  held  his  office  for  forty-five  years. 
On  the  death  of  Dr.  Wellesley  in  1866  (Dr.  Cardwell 
had  died  in  186 1)  the  Dean  became  the  senior 
Curator,  and  the  Board  was  strengthened  by  the 
appointment  of  Dr.  (now  Sir  Henry)  Acland,  and 
Professor  Rawlinson.  For  the  next  eighteen  years 
the  Board  continued  unchanged.  Sir  H.  Acland's 
life-long  friendship  with  the  Dean,  and  their  common 
interests  and  tastes,  enabled  them  to  work  together 
with  exceptional  cordiality ;  while  Professor  Rawlin- 
son undertook  the  responsible  office  of  Treasurer. 
The  effect  of  the  new  rdgime  soon  became  apparent. 


CH.  VI]     Slade  Professorship  of  Fine  Art  211 


One  matter  which  Dean  Liddell,  himself  an  amateur 
of  considerable  force,  had  much  at  heart  was  the 
dissemination  of  a  knowledge  of  drawing.  In  the 
autumn  of  1866  a  temporary  home  was  provided 
at  the  Galleries  for  the  recently  established  School 
of  Art.  Classes  were  held  by  Mr.  Macdonald,  and 
were  largely  attended.  On  the  establishment  of 
the  Ruskin  School  of  Drawing  in  18  71,  a  portion 
of  the  basement  of  the  Galleries  was  fitted  up  for 
the  use  of  the  evening  classes  of  the  School  of  Art ; 
and  much  encouragement  was  thus  given  to  the 
study  of  drawing  by  boys  and  girls  of  the  artisan 
class.  A  still  more  important  service  to  the  study 
of  art  at  Oxford  was  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Ruskin 
as  the  first  Slade  Professor  of  Fine  Art  in  1869. 
By  the  regulations  made  under  the  Declaration  of 
Trust,  the  lectures  of  the  Professor  are  to  be  given 
at  the  University  Galleries,  and  the  Curators  are 
represented  on  the  Board  of  Electors  to  the  Chair. 
Mr.  Ruskin's  acceptance  of  the  Professorship  was 
due  principally,  if  not  entirely,  to  the  influence  of 
his  friends  Dean  Liddell  (who  was  chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Electors)  and  Sir  Henry  Acland.  It  will 
be  remembered  how  great  was  the  enthusiasm  with 
which  Mr.  Ruskin's  lectures  were  welcomed.  Many 
members  of  the  University  date  from  that  period 
their  first  awakening  to  a  sense  of  the  beauty  of 
Italian  Art,  and  it  may  be  doubted  whether  the 
interest  of  the  University  in  painting  and  sculpture 
has  ever  again  been  so  keen  or  so  widely  spread 
as  it  was  then.  No  one  felt  more  strongly  than 
did  the  Dean  how  great  was  the  advantage  to 
Oxford  of  having  Mr.  Ruskin  among  its  teachers  ; 
and  later  on,  when  his  connexion  with  the  Uni- 

E  e  2 


212         Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vr 


versity  was  severed,  to  no  one  did  his  loss  mean 
more  than  to  the  Dean,  I  have  heard  him  more 
than  once  refer  with  deep  feeHng  to  his  sense 
of  the  personal  loss  to  himself.  Another  matter 
with  which  the  Dean  and  Sir  Henry  Acland  were 
closely  connected  was  the  gift,  in  1868,  of  ^1200 
by  the  present  Earl  of  Eldon  to  supplement  his 
father's  benefaction.  This  sum  was  to  be  applied 
in  the  first  place  to  the  maintenance  and  illustration 
of  the  series  of  Michael  Angelo  and  Raffaello 
drawings,  and  secondly  to  the  purchase  of  books, 
prints,  and  photographs  illustrating  Italian  Art.  One 
result  of  this  benefaction  was  the  preparation  and 
issue  in  1870  of  Sir  J.  C.  Robinson's  catalogue  of 
the  drawings.  Other  additions  made  to  the  collec- 
tions, and  improvements  effected  at  the  Galleries, 
during  the  years  1866-84  might  be  mentioned.  The 
two  surviving  Curators  certainly  look  back  with 
satisfaction  to  the  work  done  by  them  during  that 
period  under  the  chairmanship  of  Dean  Liddell, 

'  In  1884  a  great  change  took  place  in  the  con- 
stitution of  the  Galleries  Board,  by  the  appointment 
of  six  additional  Curators.  The  reason  for  this 
change  was  the  increasing  importance  of  the  study 
of  Classical  Archaeology,  and  the  need  felt  of  having 
this  subject  adequately  represented  on  the  Board. 
The  Dean  continued  as  chairman  of  the  enlarged 
body ;  and  was  chairman  also  of  a  committee 
appointed  in  1885  to  consider  (i)  what  works  of 
art  in  other  University  buildings  would  find  a  more 
fitting  place  in  the  Galleries ;  and  (2)  whether  the 
present  space  was  sufficient  for  the  full  and  proper 
exhibition  of  the  works  of  art  at  present  in  them. 
The  recommendations  of  this  important  committee 


CH.  VI]    Herkomers  portrait  of  Liddell  213 


virtually  laid  down  the  lines  along  which  subse- 
quent changes  have  moved.  The  appointment  of 
Mr.  Percy  Gardner  to  the  Chair  of  Archaeology 
in  1887  was  followed  by  the  transfer  to  the  Galleries 
of  the  Arundel  Marbles  and  the  establishment  of  an 
Archaeological  Library.  The  difficulties  caused  by 
the  conflicting  claims  of  the  Chantrey  Collection  and 
the  continually  increasing  number  of  casts  were 
partially  met  by  a  small  extension  of  the  Galleries, 
two  new  rooms  on  the  ground  floor  and  one  on  the 
basement  being  added  in  1890.  With  all  these 
changes  Dean  Liddell  had  much  to  do,  and  appeal 
was  made  to  his  judgment  at  every  turn.  Mean- 
while the  other  and  older  work  at  the  Galleries, 
in  which  the  Dean  felt  perhaps  a  more  direct 
interest,  was  not  neglected.  The  Michael  Angelo 
and  Raffaello  drawings  were  admirably  repaired  and 
remounted,  and  have  gained  a  new  lease  of  life. 
Many  pictures  which  required  careful  reparation 
were  successfully  dealt  with,  and  on  the  redecoration 
of  the  picture-gallery  in  1891  the  pictures  were 
rearranged,  and  a  provisional  catalogue  of  them 
was  prepared  by  two  of  the  Curators.  In  1886, 
on  the  appointment  of  Mr,  Herkomer  to  the  Slade 
Professorship,  a  new  studio,  built  after  the  Pro- 
fessor's own  design,  was  added  to  the  Galleries. 
To  Professor  Herkomer's  munificence  is  due  the 
fine  portrait  of  Dean  Liddell  which  now  hangs  in 
the  Galleries.  It  was  painted  by  him  shortly  before 
the  Dean's  departure  from  Oxford. 

'  The  time  was  now  at  hand  when  Dean  Liddell 
was  to  give  up  the  work  which  he  had  so  long 
and  so  successfully  carried  on  at  the  Galleries.  The 
last  meeting  of  the  Curators  which  he  attended 


214        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 


was  held  on  November  25,  1891.  Reference  was 
made  to  the  fact  that  he  would  still  continue  to 
be  a  Curator,  and  it  was  ordered  that  the  thanks 
of  the  Curators  for  his  services  in  the  chair  be 
entered  on  the  minutes. 

*  It  will  have  become  evident  that  any  account  of 
the  Dean's  work  at  the  Galleries  virtually  means 
a  history  of  the  Galleries  during  the  twenty-five 
years  of  his  chairmanship.  But  the  personal  aspect 
of  his  work  must  not  be  altogether  passed  over. 
His  younger  colleagues  could  not  but  be  conscious 
that  they  were  associated  with  a  remarkable  man. 
He  had  a  commanding  personality,  clear  convictions, 
and  a  sound  judgment.  His  wide  experience  and 
knowledge  of  men  and  affairs  always  made  them- 
selves felt  in  a  discussion,  though  he  often  delayed 
giving  his  opinion  until  he  was  asked  for  it.  I  had 
frequently  occasion  to  consult  him  during  the  last 
few  years  of  his  time  at  Oxford,  and  I  shall  always 
gratefully  remember  his  help  and  kindness.  Beneath 
a  certain  brusqueness  of  manner  there  was  great 
considerateness  for  other  people.  I  remember,  when 
it  became  necessary  to  appoint  a  deputy-keeper 
owinof  to  Mr.  Fisher's  aQ"e  and  infirmities,  with  what 
great  delicacy  the  Dean  made  the  communication 
to  him.  The  Dean  was  capable  of  strong  attach- 
ment to  those  with  whom  he  habitually  worked,  and 
I  know  that  he  loved  the  Galleries  and  everything 
connected  with  them.  It  will  probably  be  long 
before  any  one  man  again  does  as  much  for  them 
as  was  done  by  Dean  Liddell  between  1858 
and  1 89 1.' 

In  this  interesting  account  Dr.  Woods  describes 
the  appointment  of  Mr.    Ruskin   to   the  Slade 


CH.  Vl] 


^Modern  Painters^ 


215 


Professorship  of  Fine  Art  as  having  been  brought 
to  pass  chiefly  through  the  influence  of  Dean  Liddell 
and  Sir  H.  Acland,  and  he  mentions  the  Dean's 
pleasure  in  welcoming  Mr,  Ruskin  as  a  teacher  of 
Art  at  Oxford.  Mr.  Ruskin's  admiration  for  Liddell 
in  earlier  days  has  already  been  referred  to.  Their 
friendship  had  begun  while  Ruskin  was  an  under- 
graduate \  but  had  been  interrupted  by  his  absence 
from  Oxford  and  visits  to  the  Continent.  With 
the  publication  of  Modern  Painters  Liddell  had 
not  been  concerned ;  he  had  not  even  heard  of  it 
as  likely  to  appear.  Many  years  afterwards  (in  1879) 
he  told  Mr.  Ruskin  of  his  first  sig-ht  of  the  volume  : 

'  Thirty-six  years  ago  I  was  at  Birmingham, 
examining  the  boys  in  the  great  school  there.  In 
a  bookseller's  shop  window  I  saw  Modern  Painters^ 
by  a  Graduate  of  Oxford.  I  knew  nothing  of  the 
book,  or  by  whom  it  was  written.  But  I  bought 
it,  and  read  it  eagerly.  It  was  like  a  revelation 
to  me,  as  it  has  been  to  many  since.  I  have  it 
by  me,  my  children  have  read  it ;  and  I  think  with 

^  In  a  letter  written  in  1837,  Liddell  thus  describes  Ruskin:  '  I  am 
going  to  drink  tea  with  Adolphus  Liddell  to-night,  and  see  the  drawings 
of  a  very  wonderful  gentleman  commoner  here  who  draws  wonderfully. 
He  is  a  very  strange  fellow,  always  dressing  in  a  greatcoat  with 
a  brown  velvet  collar,  and  a  large  neck-cloth  tied  over  his  mouth, 
and  living  quite  in  his  own  way  among  the  odd  set  of  hunting  and 
sporting  men  that  gentlemen  commoners  usually  are.  One  of  them, 
for  instance ,  rode  to  London  and  back  the  other  day  in  five  and  a  half 
hours,  a  hundred  and  eight  miles.  However,  he  got  rusticated  for  his 
pains,  so  he  had  better  have  stayed  at  home.  But  Ruskin  does  not  give 
in  to  such  fancies  as  these,  and  tells  them  that  they  like  their  own  way 
of  living  and  he  likes  his  ;  and  so  they  go  on,  and  I  am  glad  to  say 
they  do  not  bully  him,  as  1  should  have  been  afraid  they  would,' 


2i6        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 

* 

a  pleasure,  a  somewhat  melancholy  pleasure,  on 
those  long  past  days.' 

The  first  volume  was  published  in  April  1843; 
and  Liddell,  when  he  penned  the  words  just  quoted, 
must  have  quite  forgotten  that  after  buying  the 
book  and  studying  it  carefully,  he  ventured,  after 
the  appearance  of  the  second  edition  in  1844,  to  r^ot^ 
down  and  forward  to  the  author  some  criticisms  and 
corrections.  He  seems  to  have  commented  un- 
favourably on  the  style  in  which  the  volume  was 
got  up,  and  to  have  made  various  suggestions  as 
to  phrases  and  modes  of  expression,  and  some 
criticisms  on  the  main  thesis  of  the  work.  His  letter 
is,  unfortunately,  not  to  be  found ;  but  the  nature 
of  his  comments  may  be  gathered  from  Mr.  Ruskin's 
reply : 

October  12,  1844. 

'  My  dear  Sir, 

'  I  was  on  the  very  point  of  writing  to  beg 
for  your  opinion  and  assistance  on  some  matters 
of  art,  when  your  invaluable  letter  arrived.  I  cannot 
tell  you  how  glad  and  grateful  it  makes  me  ;  glad  for 
its  encouragement,  and  grateful  for  its  advice.  For 
indeed  it  is  not  self-confidence,  but  only  eagerness 
and  strong  feeling  which  have  given  so  overbearing 
a  tone  to  much  of  what  I  have  written.  I  need 
some  support,  considering  the  weight  and  numbers 
of  those  against  me ;  and  you  will,  I  am  sure,  believe 
me  when  I  say  that  I  looked  to  none  in  the  whole 
circle  of  the  friends  whom  I  most  respect,  with  so 
much  anxiety  as  to  you  :  though  I  never  ventured 
to  hope  for  more  than  pardon  from  you  for  one 


CH.  VI]  Mr.  Ruskins  Letter 


217 


half  of  the  book,  even  if  (which  I  little  anticipated) 
you  should  take  the  trouble  of  looking  over  it 
at  all.  You  may  judge,  therefore,  of  the  infinite 
pleasure  which  your  kind  letter  gave  me ;  and, 
from  the  respect  which  you  know  I  felt  for  all 
your  opinions  (even  when  I,  in  my  ignorance,  was 
little  capable  of  understanding  them,  and  felt  most 
inclined  to  dispute  them),  you  may  judge  of  the 
deference  I  would  yield  to  them  now,  when  a  little 
more  acquaintance  with  high  art  has  brought  me 
into  nearer  sympathy  with  you.  I  wish  there  were 
something  in  your  letter  which  I  could  obey  without 
assenting  to,  that  I  might  prove  to  you  my  govern- 
ability.  But  alas !  there  is  nothing  of  all  the  little 
that  you  say  in  stricture  which  I  do  not  feel  and 
which  I  have  not  felt  for  some  time  back.  In 
fact,  on  looking  over  the  book  the  other  day,  after 
keeping  my  mind  off  the  subject  entirely  for  two 
or  three  months,  I  think  I  could  almost  have 
anticipated  your  every  feeling  ;  and  I  determined 
on  the  instant  to  take  in  future  a  totally  different 
tone.  In  fact,  the  Blackwood  part^  was  put  in 
to  please  some  friends  (especially  one  to  whom 
I  am  much  indebted  for  his  trusting  me  with  his 
drawings)  and  the  booksellers.  The  title-page  is 
booksellers'  work  too,  and  was  put  in  in  defiance 
of  my  earnest  wishes.  I  let  it  go,  for  I  considered 
myself  writing  for  the  public,  not  for  men  of  taste, 
and  I  thought  the  booksellers  knew  more  about 
the  public  than  I.  I  was  wrong,  however,  and  will 
allow  nothing  of  the  kind  in  future. 

^  This  refers  to  Mr.  Ruskin's  reply  to  the  severe  criticisms  of  Turner 
which  had  appeared  from  time  to  time  in  Blacktvood's  Magazine,  and 
to  a  review  of  Modern  Painters  in  the  number  for  October,  1843. 

F  f 


2i8        Deanery  of  Christ  Clmrch       [ch.  vi 


'  But  it  seems  to  me  that  the  pamphleteer  manner 
is  not  confined  to  these  passages :  it  is  ingrained 
throughout.  There  is  a  nasty,  snappish,  impatient, 
half-famihar,  half-claptrap  web  of  young-mannishness 
everywhere.  This  was,  perhaps,  to  be  expected  from 
the  haste  in  which  I  wrote.  I  am  going  to  try 
for  better  things ;  for  a  serious,  quiet,  earnest,  and 
simple  manner,  like  the  execution  I  want  in  art. 
Forgive  me  for  talking  of  myself  and  my  intentions 
thus,  but  your  advice  will  be  so  valuable  to  me  that 
I  know  you  will  be  glad  to  give  it ;  especially  as 
the  matter  I  have  in  hand  now  relates  not  more 
to  Turner  than  to  that  pure  old  art  which  I  have 
at  last  learnt  (thanks  to  you,  Acland,  and  Richmond) 
to  love. 

'  As  soon  as  I  began  to  throw  my  positions 
respecting  the  beautiful  into  form,  I  found  myself 
necessarily  thrown  on  the  human  figure  for  great 
part  of  my  illustrations  ;  and  at  last,  after  having 
held  off  in  fear  and  trembling  as  long  as  I  could, 
I  saw  there  was  no  help  for  it,  and  that  it  must  be 
taken  up  to  purpose.  So  I  am  working  at  home 
from  Fra  Angelico,  and  at  the  British  Museum  from 
the  Elgins.  I  passed  through  Paris  in  my  return 
from  the  Alps,  when  I  at  last  found  myself  7ip  to 
admiration  of  Titian,  and  past  Rubens  (in  matter  of 
colour),  and  now  therefore  I  think  I  shall  do,  when 
I  have  given  a  year  or  two  to  these  pure  sources. 
I  don't  think,  with  my  heart  full  of  Fra  Angelico, 
and  my  eyes  of  Titian,  that  I  shall  fall  back  into 
the  pamphleteer  style  again. 

*  Don't  suppose,  however,  with  all  this,  that  I  am 
going  to  lose  Turner.  On  the  contrary,  I  am  more 
dpris  than  ever,  and  that  especially  with  his  latest 


CH.  VI] 


Mr.  Ru skins  Letter 


219 


works,  Goldau,  &c.  Monomania,  you  think.  Pos- 
sibly ;  nevertheless,  I  should  not  have  spoken  so 
audaciously  as  I  have  under  the  influence  of  any 
conviction,  however  strong,  had  I  not  been  able  to 
trace,  in  my  education,  some  grounds  for  supposing 
that  I  might  in  deed  and  in  truth  judge  more  justly 
of  him  than  others  can.  I  mean,  my  having  been 
taken  to  mountain  scenery  when  a  mere  child,  and 
allowed,  at  a  time  when  boys  are  usually  learning 
their  grammar,  to  ramble  on  the  shores  of  Como 
and  Lucerne  ;  and  my  having  since,  regardless  of  all 
that  usually  occupies  the  energies  of  the  traveller, 
— art,  antiquities,  or  people — devoted  myself  to  pure, 
wild,  solitary,  natural  scenery  ;  with  a  most  unfor- 
tunate effect,  of  course,  as  far  as  general  or  human 
knowledge  is  concerned,  but  with  most  beneficial 
effect  on  that  peculiar  sensibility  to  the  beautiful  in 
all  things  that  God  has  made,  which  it  is  my  present 
aim  to  render  more  universal.  I  think  too  that  just 
as  it  is  impossible  to  trace  the  refinements  of  natural 
form,  unless  with  the  pencil  in  the  hand — the  eye 
and  mind  never  being  keen  enough  until  excited  by 
the  effort  to  imitate — so  it  is  nearly  impossible  to 
observe  the  refinement  of  Turner  unless  one  is  in 
the  habit  of  copying  him.  I  began  copying  him 
when  I  was  fourteen,  and  so  was  early  initiated  into 
much  which  escapes  even  the  observation  of  artists, 
whose  heads  are  commonly  too  full  of  their  own 
efforts  and  productions  to  give  fair  attention  to  those 
of  others.  That  it  was  politic  to  give  expres- 
sion to  all  my  feelings  respecting  Turner  might 
well  be  denied,  had  my  object  in  the  beginning  been 
what  it  is  now.  But  I  undertook,  not  a  treatise  on 
art  or  nature,  but,  as  I  thought,  a  small  pamphlet 

F  f  2 


220        Deaitery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 


defending  a  noble  artist  against  a  strong  current  of 
erring  public  opinion.  The  thing  swelled  under  my 
hands,  and  it  was  not  till  I  had  finished  the  volume 
that  I  had  any  idea  to  what  I  might  be  led.  I  saw 
that  I  should  have  to  recast  the  whole,  some  time 
or  other ;  and  was  too  impatient  to  do  something,  to 
do  so  at  once.  So  I  let  it  go  on  as  it  was.  The 
very  end  and  aim  of  the  whole  affair  was  Turner ; 
and  when  I  let  the  second  edition  appear  without 
alteration,  it  was  because  I  found  my  views  on  many 
points  altering  and  expanding  so  rapidly  that  I 
should  never  have  got  the  thing  together  again  until 
the  whole  of  the  following  portions  were  completed. 
So  I  determined  to  let  it  alone,  write  the  rest  first, 
and  then  recast  the  whole.  I  think  I  shall  have  it 
too  long  by  me  to  run  the  risk  of  flippancy  of 
manner  again,  and  the  illustrations  will  render  it 
unnecessary  for  me  to  run  into  caricatured  de- 
scription. I  am  going  to  Paris  for  some  time,  and 
then  to  Florence,  before  I  put  it  finally  together; 
chiefly  to  study  the  early  Italian  schools,  for  I  want 
to  bring  the  public,  as  far  as  I  can,  into  something 
like  a  perception  that  religion  must  be,  and  always 
has  been,  the  ground  and  moving  spirit  of  all  great 
art.  It  puts  me  into  a  desperate  rage  when  I  hear 
of  Eastlake's  buying  Guidos  for  the  National 
Gallery.  He  at  least  ought  to  know  better — not 
that  I  should  anticipate  anything  from  looking  at  his 
art,  but  from  his  reputed  character  and  knowledge. 

'  I  shall  be,  as  you  will  easily  conceive,  no  little 
time  in  getting  my  materials  together.  In  fact,  I 
have  to  learn  half  of  what  I  am  to  teach.  The  en- 
gravers plague  me  sadly,  and  I  am  obliged  at  last 
to  take  the  etching  into  my  own  hands,  and  this 


CH.  Vl] 


Mr.  Riiskins  Letter 


221 


demands  much  time.  In  fact,  I  ought  to  have  good 
ten  years'  work  before  I  produce  anything  ;  but  the 
evil  is  crying,  and  I  must  have  at  it.  I  hope  in 
twelve  or  eighteen  months  to  see  my  way  to  a  sort 
of  an  end ;  and  however  imperfectly  (owing  to  my 
narrow  reading  and  feeble  hand  in  exhibiting  what 
I  feel),  I  think  I  shall  yet  throw  the  principles  of  art 
into  a  higher  system  than  ordinary  writers  look  for : 
showing  that  the  principles  of  beauty  are  the  same 
in  all  things,  that  its  characters  are  typical  of  the 
Deity,  and  of  the  relations  which  in  a  perfect  state 
we  are  to  hold  with  him  ;  and  that  the  same  great 
laws  have  authority  in  all  art,  and  constitute  it  great 
or  contemptible  in  their  observance  or  violation. 

'  And  now  can  you  tell  me  of  any  works  which  it 
is  necessary  I  should  read  on  a  subject  which  has 
given  me  great  trouble — the  essence  and  operation 
of  the  imagination  as  it  is  concerned  with  art  ?  Who 
is  the  best  metaphysician  who  has  treated  the 
subject  generally,  and  do  you  recollect  any  passages 
in  Plato  or  other  of  the  Greeks  particularly  bearing 
upon  it  ? 

'  Do  you  know  Eastlake  at  all,  or  any  man  con- 
nected with  the  National  Gallery  ?  I  hope  you  do 
all  you  can  to  put  a  stop  to  this  buying  of  Guidos 
and  Rubenses,  Rubens  may  teach  us  much  of  mere 
art,  but  there  is  plenty  of  him  in  the  country,  and 
for  Guido  there  is  not  even  this  excuse.  We  want 
Titians,  we  want  Paul  Veroneses.  Our  English 
school  must  have  colour.  Above  all,  we  want  the 
only  man  who  seems  to  me  to  have  united  the  most 
intense  feeling  with  all  that  is  great  in  the  artist  as 
such — John  Bellini.  I  don't  hope  yet  for  Giotto  or 
Fra  Angelico ;  but  if  they  would  give  us  John  Bellini 


222        Deanery  of  Christ  CJmrch       [ch.  vi 


and  Titian  I  shouldn't  grumble.  I  intend  some  time 
in  my  life  to  have  a  general  conflagration  of  Murillos, 
by-the-by  ;  I  suppose  more  corruption  of  taste  and 
quenching  of  knowledge  may  be  traced  to  him  than 
to  any  man  who  ever  touched  canvas. 

'  Pardon  the  villanous  writing  of  this  letter.  I  have 
been  much  interrupted,  and  have  scarcely  had  a 
moment  to  myself,  and  I  don't  like  to  leave  your 
kind  one  longer  unanswered,  or  I  would  write  rather 
more  legibly. 

'  Ever,  my  dear  Sir, 

'  Sincerely  and  respectfully  yours, 

'  J.  RUSKIN.' 

To  this  letter  Liddell  seems  to  have  written  a 
long  reply,  and  at  the  close  to  have  desired  his 
correspondent  to  drop  for  the  future  the  formal  style 
of  address,  and  to  call  him  simply  by  his  surname. 

An  answer  came  from  Mr.  Ruskin,  who  was  then 
living  at  Herne  Hill,  by  return  of  post : 

October  15,  1844. 

'  My  dear  Liddell, 

'  You  might  think  it  affectation,  were  I  to  tell 
you  the  awkwardness  with  which  I  obey  you.  unless 
you  considered  the  especially  child-like  position  in 
which  my  good  stars  place  me  ;  for  while  many  not 
older  than  I  are  already  entrusted  with  the  highest 
responsibilities  that  can  demand  or  arouse  the 
energy  of  manly  character,  I  am  yet  as  much  at  my 
ease  as  I  was  ten  years  ago,  leading  still  the  quiet 
life  of  mere  feeling  and  reverie, 

That  hath  no  need  of  a  remoter  charm 
By  thought  supplied,  or  any  interest 
Unborrowed  from  the  eye ; 


CH.  VI]  Second  Letter  from  Mr.  Ruskin  223 


and  in  fact  feeling  scarcely  any  difference  in  myself 
from  the  time  of  impositions  and  collections,  except 
in  so  far  that  I  have  discovered  a  great  part  of  my 
time  to  have  been  lost,  and  made  my  way  to  a 
clearer  view  of  certain  ends  which  have  been  for- 
warded in  nothing  but  vision ;  that  I  feel  particularly 
ashamed  of  much  that  I  have  done,  and  particularly 
agonized  about  much  that  I  have  not  done ;  that  I 
should  not  now  write  letters  of  advice  to  Henry 
Acland,  nor  spend  my  time  at  Rome  in  sketching 
house-corners.  But  these  changes  of  feeling  render 
me,  if  anything,  less  disposed  to  unpupil  myself  than 
I  was  before ;  and  therefore  I  obey  you,  though  most 
willingly  and  gratefully,  yet  under  protest,  and  only 
because  there  are  better  means  of  showing  respect 
than  mere  matters  of  form. 

'  I  could  say  more  on  this  point,  but  I  don't  want 
to  let  your  letter  remain  unanswered  two  days,  and 
as  I  am  going  early  into  town  to-morrow  I  must 
go  on  to  some  things  I  have  to  say  about  the 
points  noticed  in  your  letter.  I  am  glad  of  your 
countenance  in  my  opposition  of  studies,  though 
I  am  a  little  afraid  that  such  versatility  of  admira- 
tion— though  it  may  make  a  good  judge  of  art — ■ 
makes  a  bad  master  of  it.  Nevertheless  for  my 
present  ends  it  is  better  it  should  be  so.  But 
though  I  can  turn,  and  am  glad  to  be  able  to  turn, 
to  the  most  opposed  sources  of  thought  and 
characters  of  beauty,  surely  we  ought  to  demand 
in  each  kind  the  perfect  and  the  best  examples. 
The  world  is  so  old,  that  there  is  no  dearth  of 
things  first-rate ;  and  life  so  short,  that  there  is  no 
excuse  for  looking  at  things  second-rate.  Let  us 
then  go  to  Rubens  for  blending,  and  to  Titian 


224 


Deanery  of  Christ  Chtirch 


[CH.  VI 


for  quality,  of  colour ;  to  Cagliari  for  daylight, 
and  Rembrandt  for  lamplight ;  to  Buonarroti  for 
awfulness,  and  to  Van  Huysum  for  precision. 
Each  of  their  excellences  has  its  use  and  order, 
and  reference  to  certain  modes  and  periods  of 
thought,  each  its  right  place  and  proper  dignity, 
incompatible.  Any  man  is  worthy  of  respect,  in 
his  own  rank,  who  has  pursued  any  truth  or  attain- 
ment with  all  his  heart  and  strenorth.  But  I  dread 
and  despise  the  artists  who  are  respectable  in 
many  things,  and  have  been  excelled  by  some  one 
in  everything.  They  are  surely  the  more  dangerous; 
for  mediocrity  in  much  is  more  comprehensible  and 
attractive  than  the  superiority  in  singleness,  which 
has  abandoned  much  to  gain  one  end.  Murillo 
seems  to  me  a  peculiar  instance  of  this.  His 
drawing  is  free  and  not  ungraceful,  but  most 
imperfect,  and  slurred  to  gain  a  melting  quality 
of  colour.  That  colour  is  agreeable  because  it  has 
no  force  nor  severity ;  but  it  is  morbid,  sunless, 
and  untrue.  His  expression  is  sweet,  but  shallow ; 
his  models  amiable,  but  vulgar  and  mindless ;  his 
chiaroscuro  commonplace,  opaque,  and  conven- 
tional :  and  yet  all  this  so  agreeably  combined, 
and  animated  by  a  species  of  waxwork  life,  that 
it  is  sure  to  catch  everybody  who  has  not  either 
very  high  feeling  or  strong  love  of  truth,  and  to 
keep  them  from  obtaining  either.  He  sketched 
well  from  a  model,  and  now  and  then  a  single 
figure  is  very  fine.  He  was  not  a  bad  painter,  but 
he  exercises  a  most  fatal  influence  on  the  English 
school,  and  therefore  I  owe  him  an  especial  grudge. 
I  have  never  entered  the  Dulwich  Gallery  for 
fourteen  years  without  seeing  at  least  three  copyists 


cH.  VI]     Turner  and  the  Old  Masters  225 


before  the  Murillos.  I  never  have  seen  one  before 
the  Paul  Veronese. 

'  Next,  with  respect  to  Turner.  I  hope  we  are 
not  opposed  so  much  as  you  think.  You  know  all 
my  praise  relates  to  his  fidelity  to,  and  love  of, 
nature  ;  it  does  not  afifirm  in  him  the  highest  degree 
of  solemnity,  or  of  purity,  in  feeling  or  choice  ;  and 
there  is  one  circumstance  which  it  seems  to  me 
has  great  influence  on  the  minds  of  most  men  of 
feeling  with  respect  to  the  works  of  the  old  masters 
as  compared  with  him.  On  this  subject — the 
creation  oi pure  light  and  the  sacrifice  of  everything 
to  that  end — I  shall  have  much  to  say  which  (if 
it  has  not  already  occurred  to  you,- — as  it  is  most 
probable  it  should)  will  be  more  pleasantly  read 
in  print  than  in  these  hieroglyphics.  Putting,  how- 
ever, this  great  source  of  power  out  of  the  question 
(and  how  much  is  involved  in  it  I  am  not  prepared 
to  say),  Turner  will  still  appear  rather  in  the  light 
of  a  man  of  great  power,  drawing  good  indiscrimin- 
ately, and  therefore  necessarily  in  very  different 
kinds  and  degrees,  out  of  everything,  than  of  one 
devoting  his  energies  to  the  full  development  of 
any  particular  moral  emotion.  He  is  rather  the 
philosopher  who  perceives  and  equally  exhibits 
all,  than  the  ardent  lover  who  raises  some  peculiar 
object  by  all  the  glories  of  imagination  and  with 
all  the  powers  of  his  heart.  His  powers  I  think 
you  never  denied ;  at  least  when  I  first  showed 
you  my  "Winchelsea"  with  the  troop  of  soldiers 
at  Oxford  you  said,  "  Yes,  just  like  him,  what  no 

one  else  could  do,  but  ,"    I  am  not  quite  sure 

what  the  particular  "  but "  was  ;  whatever  it  was, 
the  powers  were  admitted.     These  powers  then 

G  g 


226        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 


seem  employed  with  a  versatility  which  gives  a 
result  in  art  very  much  like  what  Don  Juan  is  in 
literature,  in  everything  but  its  want  of  moral 
feeling ;  a  result  containing  passages  and  truths 
of  every  character,  the  most  exquisite  tenderness, 
the  most  gigantic  power,  the  most  playful  familiarity, 
the  most  keen  philosophy  and  overwhelming  passion; 
and  yet  the  whole  will  not  produce  on  most  men's 
minds  the  effect  of  a  great  poem.  It  does  on  mine ; 
but  certainly  not  to  the  degree  which  it  might 
perhaps  have  done  had  there  been  less  power  and 
more  unity.  But  it  is  great  in  its  kind,  and  there 
is  a  system  in  both  the  art  and  the  poem  which 
may  be  reasoned  out,  and  a  great  whole  arrived 
at  by  reflection,  as  out  of  the  chaos  of  human  life 
and  circumstances  of  its  Providence.  You  must 
have  felt  this,  I  think,  in  looking  over  the  "  Liber 
Studiorum,"  in  which  you  pass  from  the  waste 
of  English  lonely  moorland,  with  the  gallows-tree 
ghastly  against  the  dying  twilight,  to  the  thick 
leaves  and  dreamy  winds  of  the  Italian  woods  ; 
from  a  study  of  cocks  and  hens  scratching  on 
a  dunghill,  to  the  cold,  slow,  colossal  coil  of  the 
Jason  serpent;  from  the  sport  of  children  about 
a  willowy  pond,  to  the  agony  of  Rizpah. 

'  Turner,  as  far  as  I  can  ascertain  anything  of  his 
past  life,  is  a  man  of  inferior  birth  and  no  education, 
arising  at  a  time  when  there  were  no  masters  to 
guide  him  to  great  ends,  and  by  the  necessity 
and  closeness  of  his  study  of  nature  withdrawn 
from  strong  human  interests  ;  endowed  with  singular 
delicacy  of  perception  and  singular  tenderness  of 
heart,  but  both  associated  with  quick  temper  and 
most  determined  obstinacy,  acting  constantly  under 


CH.  VI]    Turners  temperament  &  training  227 

momentar}^  impulses,  but  following  out  inflexibly 
whatever  he  has  begun.  Considering  the  little 
feeling  for  high  art  which,  till  within  the  last  ten 
years,  existed  in  this  country,  and  the  absence  of 
sympathy  with  him  in  all  but  what  he  felt  himself 
was  the  mere  repetition  of  things  bygone  and 
which  could  not  be  bettered,  we  cannot  but  expect 
that  there  should  be  something  to  regret  in  his 
career,  and  something  wanting  to  his  attainments  ; 
and  we  must  be  content  to  receive  the  great  and 
new  lessons  which  he  has  read  to  us  out  of 
the  material  world,  without  auarrellino-  with  the 
pettinesses  and  inconsistencies  perhaps  unavoidable 
unless  where  art  is  the  minister  to  vast  national 
sympathies  and  the  handmaid  of  religion. 

'  I  had  much  more  to  say,  but  my  time  is  gone. 
I  will  attend  to  all  you  advise  respecting  the  next 
book.  I  have  not  spoken  about  your  kind  defence 
of  the  present  one,  but  cannot  now.  I  think  I  shall 
be  pretty  sure  not  to  use  the  language  of  any 
particular  Church,  for  I  don't  know  exactly  which 
one  I  belong  to.  A  Romanist  priest,  after  a  long 
talk  under  a  tree  in  a  shower  at  St.  Martin's, 
assured  me  I  was  quite  as  good  a  Catholic  as  he. 
However,  the  religious  language  I  shall  use  in  what 
references  I  may  have  to  make  will  be  simply 
that  of  the  Bible ;  and  a  few  allusions  to  the 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity  and  the  general  attributes 
of  the  Deity  will  be  all  I  shall  require.  Thank 
you  much  for  your  reference  to  Vaughan  about 
imagination,  &c.  Thank  you  also  for  your  careful 
notes  of  the  errata  in  the  old  book,  which  I  shall 
take  care  to  alter. 

'  If  the  only  and  single  result  of  my  labour  had 
G  g  2 


228        Deanery  of  Christ  Church       [ch.  vi 


been  that  which  you  mention,  some  rest  to  your 
mind  in  a  period  of  pain,  it  would  have  been  enough 
reward  for  me,  even  without  the  privilege  which 
the  close  of  your  letter  allows  me,  of  continuing, 
'  My  dear  Liddell, 

'  Very  truly  and  gratefully  yours, 

'J.  RUSKIN.' 

These  letters,  apart  from  their  high  intrinsic 
interest,  show  the  common  ground  of  artistic  sym- 
pathy which,  in  distant  days,  had  united  Liddell 
and  Mr.  Ruskin ;  the  profound  respect  with  which 
Mr.  Ruskin  then  regarded  his  senior  (senior  by  only 
eight  years),  and  the  importance  which  he  attached 
to  his  criticisms.  It  was  a  happy  occurrence,  there- 
fore, that  twenty-five  years  afterwards,  when  the 
great  teacher  was  at  the  zenith  of  his  fame,  he  was  per- 
suaded by  his  old  friends,  who  had  watched  his  career 
from  those  early  times,  to  undertake  the  duties  of 
a  Chair  which  would  bring  him  very  prominently 
before  the  University,  and  give  him  an  opportunity 
of  instructing  a  large  body  of  cultivated  listeners  on 
the  topics  nearest  to  his  heart.  The  post  w^as 
accepted  somewhat  diffidently. 

'  I  was  very  grateful  for  your  letter,'  he  wrote 
to  the  Dean  in  January  1870.  'I  was  beginning 
to  feel  great  discomfort  in  the  sense  of  inability 
to  do — not  indeed  (for  that  I  never  hoped)  what 
I  would  wish  to  do — but  what  with  more  deliberation 
I  might  be  able  to  do.  Your  permission  to  give 
only  seven  lectures  this  spring  will  give  me  ease 
of  mind,  and,  I  hope,  better  power  of  thinking. 


cH.  VI]   Mr.  Ruskin  as  Slade  Professor  229 


I  am  happy  in  the  general  thoughts  of  what  may- 
be possible  to  me ;  clear  enough,  for  all  practical 
purposes,  as  to  what  I  have  to  say ;  and  a  little 
sanguine  (yet  not  so  as  to  be  hurt  by  disappoint- 
ment) respecting  the  effect  of  carefully  chosen 
examples  of  more  or  less  elementary  art,  put  within 
the  daily  reach  of  all  students,'  with  notes  enough 
to  enable  them  to  look  at  once  for  their  main 
qualities.  It  is  pardonable  to  be  sanguine  when 
I  have  you  and  Henry  Acland  to  advise  me  and 
help  me.  I  am  well  assured  you  know  that  I  will 
do  my  best,  and  that  not  in  any  personal  vanity.' 

Dr.  Woods  has  not  exaggerated  the  deep  im- 
pression which  Mr.  Ruskin's  lectures,  from  1869 
to  1879,  made  upon  the  Oxford  world;  and  his 
influence  as  a  resident  was  exercised  in  many  and 
various  ways,  some  perhaps  not  a  little  Quixotic. 
He  had  rooms  in  Corpus,  and  his  friendship  with 
his  near  neighbours  at  the  Deanery  ripened  into 
close  intimacy.  He  would  not  indeed  dine  with 
them. 

'  I  never  dine  out,'  he  wrote  to  Mrs.  Liddell,  '  tired 
or  not.  There  is  really  nothing  that  makes  me 
more  nervously  uncomfortable  than  the  sound  of 
voices  becoming  indecipherable  round  a  clatter  of 
knives.' 

But  he  would  often  consult  the  Dean  on  matters 
where  wide  classical  knowledge  was  specially  needed  ; 
and  there  are  letters  from  Liddell,  written  during  the 
busiest  days  of  his  Vice-Chancellorship,  discussing 
at  great  length,  and  illustrating  by  many  quotations, 


230        Deanery  of  Christ  Church 

the  precise  meaning  of  lov,  and  its  identification 
with  our  '  violet,'  and  whether  there  was  any  Greek 
word  answering  exactly  to  our  '  moss.' 

Some  years  afterwards  Liddell  endeavoured,  but 
without  success,  to  persuade  Mr.  Ruskin  to  entrust 
the  publication  of  his  works  to  the  University  Press, 
and  to  allow  them  to  be  sold  at  reasonable  prices. 

'  Many  persons,'  he  wrote,  '  wish  to  possess  them, 
and  cannot  procure  them  except  at  a  price  which 
is  prohibitive  to  all  but  the  wealthy ;  moreover 
the  profit  of  the  large  prices  demanded  goes  not 
to  you  (as  it  ought),  but  to  speculating  booksellers 
or  agents.'  '  The  speculating  booksellers,'  replied 
Mr.  Ruskin,  '  make  no  profit  on  my  books,  except  on 
those  which  are  out  of  print  by  my  own  wish.  The 
others  are  perfectly  accessible,  venal  to  all  men ; 
the  best  of  them  for  the  price  of  a  couple  of 
bottles  of  good  Sillery,  and  they  shall  not  be  sold 
cheaper.  All  my  purposes  in  this  matter  are  told 
at  some  length  in  Fors.' 


CHAPTER  VII 

DEANERY  OF  CHRIST  CHURCH  {cotlimued) 

The  Dean  became  Vice-Chancellor  in  Michaelmas 
Term,  1870,  in  succession  to  Dr.  Leigh  ton,  Warden 
of  All  Souls  College.  No  Dean  of  Christ  Church 
had  held  the  Vice-Chancellorship  since  Aldrich  in 
1692-4.  Before  that  time  it  had  not  been  uncommon 
for  the  two  offices  to  be  held  together  when  occasion 
served.  Owen  and  John  Fell  were  conspicuous 
figures  among  the  Vice-Chancellors  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  But  the  custom  had  fallen  into  desuetude, 
and  Liddell  broke  through  a  venerable  tradition  in 
accepting  the  office.  It  was  no  light  addition  to  his 
labours,  and  he  was  now  fifty-nine  years  of  age ;  but 
by  universal  acknowledgment  he  discharged  the 
onerous  duties  for  four  years  with  unsurpassed  dignity 
and  efficiency.  The  Vice-Chancellor  is  in  a  very  real 
sense  the  Head  of  the  University.  He  presides 
over  its  public  assemblies  and  its  Hebdomadal 
Council ;  he  is  chairman  of  all  committees  and 
delegacies,  and  has  a  large  share  in  the  appointment 
of  Professors,  Examiners,  and  Preachers ;  he  is  the 
chief  representative  of  the  University  on  all  occasions 


232         Deanery  of  Christ  Church      [ch.  vn 


of  public  ceremony,  except  during  the  rare  official 
visits  of  the  Chancellor  himself.  Much  influence 
and  much  patronage  thus  belong  to  the  holder 
of  this  important  office  ;  and  it  is  but  natural  that 
such  power  should  not  unfrequently  be  used  during 
the  short  tenure  of  the  office  for  the  furtherance 
of  the  interests  of  the  College  of  which  the  Vice- 
Chancellor  of  the  time  is  Head,  or  for  the  advance- 
ment of  political  or  ecclesiastical  causes  in  which 
he  is  interested.  Liddell  brought  to  the  work 
lengthened  experience,  thorough  business  habits, 
and  familiarity  with  all  academical  questions ;  but 
he  also  brought  that  entire  impartiality  and  clear 
sense  of  justice  of  which  we  have  so  often  spoken 
already,  and  altogether  declined  to  allow  private 
friendships  or  personal  predilections  to  influence  his 
conduct.  He  distinctly  raised  the  whole  conception 
of  the  office,  and  laid  it  down  amid  universal  regret, 
having  won  the  profound  respect  of  members  of 
every  party — a  difficult  achievement  anywhere,  but 
exceptionally  difficult  in  the  small  world  of  Oxford. 

No  very  important  events  occurred  during  his 
Vice-Chancellorship.  The  new  Chancellor,  the 
Marquess  of  Salisbury,  had  been  admitted  to  his 
office  just  before,  and  had  presided  at  the  Com- 
memoration of  1870.  There  was  a  momentary  lull 
in  the  attempts  to  reform  the  institutions  of  the 
University;  the  Duke  of  Cleveland's  Commission 
of  inquiry  into  its  revenues  (the  prelude  to  the 
Parliamentary  Commission  of  1877)  began  its  in- 
vestigations in  1872.  But  reform  was  then,  as  always. 


CH.  VIl] 


JVork  as  Vice- Chancellor 


233 


in  the  air.  The  University  Tests  Act  of  1871  in- 
volved many  changes  in  the  statutes,  to  bring  them 
into  harmony  with  the  new  enactments  ;  and  on 
various  questions  connected  with  the  examination 
statutes  there  were  continual  discussions,  and  some 
considerable  alterations  were  made.  One  of  the 
most  important  of  these,  affecting  the  Final  Honours 
School  of  Literae  Humaniores,  came  into  force  in 
1873.  There  were  also  many  debates  and  proposals 
in  connexion  with  the  school  of  Theology,  a  school 
only  founded  in  1870  ;  and  a  division  was  made 
in  1872  between  the  schools  of  Law  and  Modern 
History,  which  had  formed  one  school  since  1853. 

The  Dean  discharged  his  new  duties  with  the 
utmost  conscientiousness.  He  was  very  methodical 
in  attendance  at  meetings  and  at  University  sermons ; 
nothing  could  exceed  his  punctual  fulfilment  of  all, 
even  the  most  tiresome,  routine  duties. 

'  Nowhere,'  writes  Professor  Max  Miiller,  in  an 
article  already  referred  to,  '  was  his  silent  influence 
felt  so  much  as  when  as  Vice-Chancellor  he  acted 
as  chairman  of  committees.  There  was  a  restrain- 
ing influence  in  his  very  presence,  people  seemed 
ashamed  of  lowering  themselves  before  him  by 
selfish,  ungenerous,  or  unacademic  behaviour.  No 
gossip  was  allowed  in  his  presence,  no  insinuations 
were  tolerated  against  anybody  not  present  to  de- 
fend himself; — no  uncommon  event  at  meetings,  par- 
ticularly when,  at  the  same  time,  to  disclose  what  is 
said  on  these  occasions  is  considered  dishonourable. 
If  a  debate  had  lasted  too  long,  his  question,  "  Is 
there  anybody  who  wants  to  say  anything  else?"  was 

H  h 


234        Deanery  of  Christ  Church      [ch.  vn 


generally  sufficient  to  stop  the  flow  of  not  always 
enlightening  eloquence.  As  to  any  artifices  of 
which  chairmen  are  not  always  guiltless,  such  as 
proroguing  a  meeting  instead  of  taking  a  vote,  post- 
poning a  decision  in  order  to  secure  the  presence 
of  a  few  more  favourable  voters — very  harmless 
contrivances,  it  may  be,  in  the  eyes  of  so-called 
practical  men,  or  men  of  business — the  Dean  would 
never  have  condescended  to  any  of  them.  He 
knew  of  no  "  roguery  "  that  was  permissible  in  order 
to  secure  success.  Every  one  who  has  had  the 
privilege  of  sitting  on  committees  with  the  Dean 
knows  what  a  change  his  absence  made,  and  how 
truly  and  widely  his  services,  nay,  his  very  presence, 
were  appreciated,  particularly  after  he  had  left 
Oxford.' 

But  he  resolved  to  favour  no  party  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  his  office.  In  making  all  appointments 
he  took  the  utmost  pains  to  find  out  the  best  men, 
and  to  dismiss  all  other  claims  but  fitness.  The 
selection  of  preachers  gave  him  a  good  deal 
of  trouble :  his  own  knowledge  of  the  foremost 
preachers  in  the  English  Church  was  naturally  im- 
perfect; he  used  to  consult  his  friends,  and  especially 
Stanley  ;  and  one  can  remember  the  many  questions 
asked,  and  the  anxious  desire  to  secure  men  of  real 
merit,  who  would  be  likely  to  attract  large  congre- 
gations :  the  result  being  that  divines  of  all  parties, 
and  from  all  parts  of  England,  came  up  from  time 
to  time  in  answer  to  his  invitation.  Some,  who 
travelled  to  Oxford  to  preach  on  a  Sunday  after- 
noon in  Lent,  were  grievously  disappointed  at  their 


CH.  VII]  University  Sermons 


235 


audience  at  that  untoward  time :  accustomed  to 
address  crowded  churches,  they  found  themselves 
in  an  almost  empty  building;  and  the  Vice-Chancellor 
shared  their  disappointment.  But  he  had  the  satis- 
faction of  securing  Jowett  (then  scarcely  ever  heard) 
to  preach  a  remarkable  sermon  in  1871,  when  the 
church  was  full  to  overflowing ;  and  Liddon  and 
Stanley  (as  has  been  already  mentioned)  preached 
by  his  invitation  on  two  consecutive  Sundays  in  the 
same  year.  Dr.  Pusey  succeeded  Dr.  Stanley  as 
preacher  on  the  Jewish  Interpretation  of  Prophecy. 
The  present  Bishop  of  Lincoln  (then  Principal  of 
Cuddesdon)  was  followed  by  INIr.  Stopford  Brooke  ; 
and  odd  juxtapositions  such  as  these  showed  the 
generous  breadth  of  the  Vice-Chancellor's  sym- 
pathies, or  at  least  his  desire  to  give  every  party 
in  the  Church  a  hearing  in  the  University  pulpit. 

One  minor  reform  connected  with  St.  Mary's  was 
carried  out  at  this  period.  Attendants  at  the  sermons 
are  familiar  with  the  University  Hymnal,  in  its  dark 
blue  cover ;  and  perhaps,  during  some  long  sermon, 
have  not  been  unwilling  to  peruse  its  contents  and 
study  the  interesting  notes  at  the  end.  But  com- 
paratively few  will  recollect  its  first  appearance 
in  the  Summer  Term  of  1872,  or  the  poverty-stricken 
selection  of  verses  from  the  old  metrical  versions 
of  the  Psalms  which  the  present  volume  superseded. 
In  1 87 1  the  University  authorized  the  preparation 
of  a  new  hymnal,  and  the  Delegates  of  the  Clarendon 
Press  appointed  a  small  committee  to  compile  the 
book.     The   committee   consisted   of   the  Vice- 

H  h  2 


236         Demtery  of  Christ  Church      [CH.  VII 


Chancellor,  as  chairman ;  Dr.  W.  Bright,  Dr.  Liddon, 
Mr.  John  Griffiths,  Mr.  Henry  Smith,  Mr.  Wickham 
(now  Dean  of  Lincoln),  and  the  present  writer.  To 
these  were  added,  as  musical  authorities,  Dr.  Corfe 
and  Dr.  Stainer.  Each  member  of  the  committee 
sent  in  a  list  of  the  hymns  which  he  considered  most 
suitable  for  the  special  purpose  of  the  book ;  and  when 
these  had  been  printed  a  selection  was  made,  and 
the  volume  now  in  use  exhibits  the  survival  of  what 
were  deemed  the  fittest.  The  Dean  took  a  lively 
interest  in  the  discussions.  To  his  own  special 
choice  and  advocacy  is  due  the  insertion  of  some 
stanzas  of  Milton's  hymn  on  the  Nativity.  It  was 
objected  that  there  was  no  tune  to  suit  the  metre, 
but  Dr.  Stainer  replied  with  a  promise  that  one 
should  be  forthcoming ;  yet  the  hymn  has  never 
(it  is  believed)  been  sung  at  St.  Mary's.  It  was 
much  wished  that  some  Latin  hymns  should  be 
introduced.  Few,  however,  were  really  suitable,  and 
in  some  which  were  selected  changes  had  to  be 
made.  In  the  '  Ecce  quem  vates'  Liddell's  taste 
corrected  the  lines : 

Dexter  in  Parentis  arce 
Qui  cluis  virtutibus 

into  the  sonorous  words  : 

Dexter  assidens  Parenti 
Summa  nactus  robora. 

And  in  the  '  Dies  irae '  he  suggested  the  more 
rhythmical  '  Crucis  explicans  vexilla '  instead  of  ex- 
pandens ;  the  line  being  an  almost  necessary  substitute 
for  the  original  '  Teste  David  cum  Sibylla.' 


CH.  VIl] 


The  nciv  Hymnal 


237 


One  can  remember  many  delightful  criticisms  on 
modern  hymnody  which  fell  from  the  Dean's  lips  : 
they  were  the  ripe  judgment  of  a  master  of  the 
English  tongue;  and  the  many  warnings  on  the  score 
of  orthodoxy  which  were  uttered  by  the  otherwise 
silent  mentor  of  the  committee,  Mr.  Griffiths.  The 
notes  were  compiled  chiefly  by  Dr.  Bright.  Great 
care  was  exercised  to  bring  the  text,  in  every  case, 
as  near  as  possible  to  the  original ;  but  it  was  not 
thought  advisable  to  press  this  principle  too  far. 
The  committee  declined  to  substitute  for  the  familiar 
opening  of  our  Christmas  hymn  the  far  nobler 
original : 

Hark,  how  all  the  welkin  rings, 
Glory  to  the  King  of  kings ; 

although  in  'Rock  of  Ages'  they  retained  the  strange 
expression  '  When  mine  eye-strings  break  in  death.' 
The  doxologies  and  '  Amens '  of  modern  hymnals 
were  deliberately  omitted.  The  volume  is  not 
without  its  blemishes,  but  it  has  for  many  years 
fulfilled  its  purpose  well ;  and  Liddell,  who  selected 
the  type  and  binding,  was  greatly  pleased  with  it. 

It  was  during  this  same  busy  period  that  the 
Dean,  in  1875,  completed  his  twentieth  year  of 
office  ;  and  his  portrait,  painted  by  Mr.  Watts,  was 
presented  to  him  at  the  Gaudy  in  the  summer  of 
1876,  as  a  gift  from  members  of  Christ  Church. 
It  was  arranged  that  Liddell's  former  pupil.  Earl 
Granville,  should  make  the  presentation  ;  but,  to 
the  Dean's  great  disappointment,  he  was  not  well 
enough  to  attend.    His  place,  however,  was  taken 


238         Deanery  of  Christ  Chttrch      [ch.  vn 


by  Mr.  Gladstone,  and  none  who  were  present 
on  that  occasion  are  likely  to  forget  the  eloquent 
words  with  which  he  spoke  of  the  Dean  in 
proposing  his  health.  To  Liddell  himself  the  cere- 
mony was  not  a  little  trying : 

'  I  had,'  he  writes,  '  to  sit  under  a  shower-bath 
of  praise  from  Mr.  Gladstone.  He  delivered  a  really 
magnificent  oration  ;  but  I  felt  very  uncomfortable 
under  it,  and  made  a  very  lame  acknowledgment. 
It  was  quite  miraculous  (nothing  less)  to  hear  the 
torrent  of  eloquence  he  poured  forth  for  more  than 
half  an  hour.' 

It  is  interesting,  as  illustrating-  the  g-reat  orator's 
extraordinary  facility  of  speech,  to  add  that  only  a  few 
hours  before,  one  of  the  Censors  (the  present  writer) 
had,  at  Mr.  Gladstone's  special  request,  furnished 
him  on  a  few  sheets  of  note-paper  with  a  list  of  the 
chief  topics  on  which  it  would  be  proper  for  him  to 
enlarge :  and  each  in  its  order  came  forth,  elaborated 
in  the  magnificent  periods  of  the  speaker. 

This  mention  of  Mr.  Gladstone  recalls  another 
visit  of  a  very  different  kind,  which  he  paid  to 
Oxford  fifteen  years  afterwards.  He  came  on  this 
later  occasion  not  to  Christ  Church  but  to  All  Souls  : 
not  as  an  orator,  but  as  a  simple  student ;  and  very 
delightful  his  visit  was  to  all  concerned.  Liddell 
thus  describes  it  in  a  letter  to  his  son,  who  was 
then  travelling  in  India : 

'  I  did  not  in  my  last  letter  tell  you  about  Mr. 
Gladstone's  visit  to  Oxford.    It  was  very  surprising. 


CH.  vii]  Mr.  Gladstone  at  Oxford  in  i8go  239 


He  wrote  to  Sir  William  Anson,  saying  that  he 
should  like  to  occupy  rooms  in  All  Souls  (of  which 
college  he  is  an  Honorary  Fellow)  for  ten  days  or 
a  fortnight,  having  some  work  on  hand  for  which 
he  should  have  to  visit  the  Bodleian.  No  one 
would  believe  it  at  first.  He  seldom  or  never  goes 
anywhere  without  Mrs.  Gladstone ;  and  how  was  he 
to  live  alone  in  college  rooms,  without  her  solicitous 
attentions  ?  However,  he  came,  stayed  for  about 
ten  days,  and  seemed  supremely  happy.  Politics 
were  excluded  altogether.  I  asked  him  to  dinner, 
and  invited  some  known  scholars  and  literati  to 
meet  him.  One  day  he  dined  in  the  common  room, 
another  at  our  club  ;  three  days  in  All  Souls  Hall, 
and  w^here  on  the  other  two  or  three  days  I  do  not 
remember.  He  made  himself  very  agreeable,  and 
talked  to  every  conceivable  person  on  every  con- 
ceivable subject.  Mr.  Goschen  says  it  was  the 
most  remarkable  episode  in  a  most  remarkable 
life.  One  night  Mr.  Gladstone  went  to  the  Union. 
He  declined  to  take  part  in  any  debate,  but  said 
he  would  give  them  a  kind  of  lecture  on  certain 
recent  discoveries  of  Assyrian  antiquities  as  bearing 
on  Homer.  One  of  these  was  that  the  Assyrian 
Hades  had  seven  gates,  through  which  the  mythical 
hero  Ishtar  had  to  pass.  Now,  he  said.  Homer 
speaks  of  an  'AtSao  TrvXdpT7]<;,  which  is  interpreted 
gate-keeper ;  so  that  it  is  clear  Homer  had  the 
seven  Assyrian  gates  in  his  mind.  Q.E.D.  He 
can  persuade  himself  of  anything.  He  values 
this  discovery  so  highly  that  he  has  sent  me 
a  note  of  it  for  insertion  in  the  Lexicon.  By  the 
way,  I  am  ungrateful,  for  he  paid  the  very  highest 
compliment  to  the  Lexicon.' 


240        Deanery  of  Christ  Church      [ch.  vn 

Liddell's  experience  as  Headmaster  of  West- 
minster made  his  advice  especially  valuable  in 
relation  to  all  Public  School  matters  ;  and  though 
he  avoided,  as  far  as  possible,  engaging  himself  to 
the  performance  of  duties  which  would  call  him 
away  from  Oxford,  he  could  not  escape  them 
altogether.  He  was  for  many  years  on  the  council 
of  Cheltenham  College ;  and  his  official  connexion 
with  Westminster  gave  him  a  permanent  place  on 
its  new  governing  body  from  its  creation  in  1869. 

At  Cheltenham  he  was  one  of  a  distinguished 
group  of  men  who  had  been  selected  to  co-operate 
with  the  local  governors  of  that  college.  Lord 
Redesdale  was  chairman  of  the  council ;  and  it 
was  accustomed  to  meet,  not  at  Cheltenham,  but 
in  Lord  Redesdale's  room  at  the  House  of  Lords. 

'  There  were  half  a  dozen  men  of  mark,'  writes  the 
present  Dean  of  Wells,  '  among  the  council,  besides 
the  excellent  chairman  Lord  Redesdale,  a  very 
hard  man  to  convince  of  the  goodness  of  a  bad 
case,  and  a  most  kind  friend  to  the  college  and 
to  me.  These  were  Dr.  Liddell,  Dean  of  Christ 
Church,  Dr.  Thompson,  Master  of  Trinity,  Sir 
Michael  Hicks-Beach,  Lord  James  of  Hereford, 
Bartholomew  Price,  afterwards  Master  of  Pembroke, 
and  my  own  contemporary,  W.  L.  Newman,  whose 
solid  intellect  broke  down  under  pressure  of  over- 
work in  the  early  seventies.  The  Dean  was 
excellent  at  business.  His  questions  at  a  council 
meeting  were  few  and  piercing,  his  view  clear,  his 
solution  practical.  He  brought  to  its  deliberations 
exceptional  gifts,  exceptionally  required  there.' 


CH.  VII]  ^Election '  at  Westminster  School  241 

The  connexion  between  Westminster  and  Christ 
Church  was,  as  we  have  seen,  a  very  ancient  and 
a  very  close  one;  and  the  Dean,  by  venerable  custom, 
went  every  year  to  the  school  to  elect  boys  to  student- 
ships, now  called  scholarships,  at  Christ  Church. 
He  was  accompanied  by  an  examiner,  usually  one 
of  the  Censors  or  Tutors,  who  also  had  the  status 
of  an  elector.  At  Westminster  he  was  lodged  at 
the  Deanery,  and  there  met  his  brother  potentate, 
the  Master  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  bent 
upon  a  like  errand,  and  accompanied  also  by  an 
examiner.  In  old  days  the  visit  began  on  the  eve 
of  Rogation  Sunday,  and  lasted  till  the  following 
Wednesday  afternoon.  Its  duration  has  now  been 
curtailed,  and  the  date  altered.  Before  the  railway 
to  Oxford  was  opened  the  journey  was  performed  by 
road,  and  the  Dean  of  those  days  could  not  return 
to  his  home  at  Oxford  before  Thursday  afternoon. 
It  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  University  sermon 
on  the  Thursday  morning,  Ascension  Day ;  but  this 
duty  was  in  his  absence  always  performed  by  one  of 
the  students.  With  the  completion  of  the  railway 
the  return  was,  of  course,  easily  effected  on  the 
Wednesday ;  but  so  anxious  was  Dean  Gaisford  to 
observe  the  ancient  tradition,  as  to  the  impossibility 
of  his  earlier  return,  that  to  the  end  of  his  life, 
though  safely  back  in  Christ  Church  on  the  previous 
night,  he  was  careful  not  to  appear  in  public  till 
Thursday  afternoon. 

The  few  days  spent  at  Westminster  were  a 
pleasant  episode  in  each  Summer  Term.  There 

I  i 


242        Deanery  of  Christ  Chttrch      [ch.  vn 


were  dinner  parties,  and  stately  processions  on  the 
Sunday  to  the  Abbey,  where  'High'  service  was 
twice  performed,  and  the  electors  sat  in  dignity, 
dressed  in  full  canonicals ;  and  on  the  two  follow- 
ing days  there  were  processions  through  the  cloisters 
to  the  big  school,  which  was  decorated  for  the 
occasion  with  ancient  tapestry.  The  electors  sat  at 
a  horse-shoe  table,  also  covered  with  tapestry,  the 
Dean  of  Westminster  presiding.  There  they  had 
to  listen  for  several  hours  during  two  days,  while 
the  candidates  for  election  were  examined  '  viva 
voce '  by  the  Oxford  and  Cambridge  examiners 
alternately.  On  the  Monday  evening  there  was 
a  banquet  to  the  electors  in  the  college  hall,  and 
epigrams  were  recited  by  the  Queen's  Scholars.  On 
the  Wednesday  there  was  again  'High'  service  in 
the  Abbey,  and  at  the  conclusion  the  boys  assembled 
in  the  college  hall,  and  the  Headmaster  entered 
and  read  out  the  choice  of  the  electors, — and  many 
a  boy's  destiny  for  life  was  then  decided  for  better 
or  for  worse.  It  was  a  leisurely  and  dignified  pro- 
ceeding, and  had  many  good  points,  but  it  has  been 
much  shortened  of  recent  years,  the  examination 
being  now  largely  on  paper.  Dean  Stanley  used 
thoroughly  to  enjoy  his  sessions,  with  the  Dean  of 
Christ  Church  on  one  side  of  him,  and  the  Master 
of  Trinity  on  the  other  (each  had  precedence  of  his 
brother  chief  in  alternate  years)  at  the  table  in  hall  or 
school,  and  talked  delightfully  to  them  all  the  time. 

This  annual  visit  to  the  school  kept  up  an  interest 
in  Westminster  on  the  part  of  the  Christ  Church 


CH.  vii]  Question  of  removal  of  Westminster 

authorities,  who  fully  recognized  the  value  to  their 
college  of  the  prosperity  and  good  management  of 
the  school.  It  was  very  important  that  its  boys 
should  be  well  taught,  and  their  numbers  well  main- 
tained. The  question  of  the  removal  of  the  school 
into  the  country  had  been  seriously  considered,  as 
we  have  mentioned,  during  Liddell's  Headmaster- 
ship,  and  it  was  again  discussed  under  his  successor. 
In  i860  a  large  meeting  of  Old  Westminsters  was 
held  in  the  schoolroom,  under  the  presidency  of 
Dean  Trench,  to  consider  the  matter,  and  Liddell 
was  asked  to  attend  and  speak.  He  gave  his 
opinion,  in  no  uncertain  tones,  in  favour  of  removal, 
declaring  that  he  saw  no  way  by  which  its  ancient 
prosperity  as  a  boarding  school,  and  its  legitimate 
place  among  the  leading  Public  Schools  of  England, 
could  be  maintained  unless  it  was  moved  into  the 
country.  '  Even  if  an  angel  from  heaven  were  to 
come  down,  I  do  not  believe  the  school's  fortunes 
could  be  retrieved,  so  long  as  it  remains  in  London.' 
Many  Old  Westminsters  present  at  the  meeting 
were  offended  at  so  outspoken  a  declaration.  They 
were  very  reluctant  to  approve  of  so  radical  a 
change  as  removal  into  the  country,  though  indeed 
few  of  them  sent  their  sons  to  the  school.  It 
was  found  impossible,  without  the  support  of  the 
main  body  of  Old  Westminsters,  to  carry  out  such 
a  scheme,  and  it  was  definitely  abandoned.  But 
there  is  no  doubt  that  Liddell's  forecast  was  largely 
justified ;  the  boarding  houses  have  now  for  many 
years  past  become  quite  an  insignificant  part  of  the 

I  i  2 


244        Deanery  of  Christ  Church      [ch.  vn 


school :  the  increase  in  numbers — and  that  not  very 
large — has  come  from  the  increased  proportion  of 
day-boys. 

When  the  school — under  the  provisions  of  the 
Public  Schools  Act — acquired  its  own  property,  and 
was  made  independent  of  the  Chapter,  a  governing 
body  was  created  for  it,  upon  which  various  interests 
were  represented.  The  Dean  of  Christ  Church 
was  an  ex  officio  member  of  the  new  body,  and 
Christ  Church  also  sent  one  elective  member. 
Liddell  was  for  many  years  regular  in  attendance 
at  the  meetings,  and  though  he  never  spoke  much 
his  authority  was  very  great.  One  important 
question  came  up  from  time  to  time,  the  ex- 
pediency of  retaining  the  college  with  its  forty 
Queen's  Scholars  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  ancient 
autonomy  within  the  college  building.  It  was 
thought  by  some  that  to  hamper  the  chief  prizes 
of  the  school  wath  the  obligation  to  reside  within 
the  w^alls  of  college,  at  a  time  when  the  boarding 
element  of  the  school  was  dwindling,  w^as  seriously 
to  diminish  the  value  of  the  scholarships,  and 
unduly  to  restrict  the  competition  for  them.  It 
w^as  urged  that  the  Queen's  Scholarships — the  chief 
prizes  of  the  school — should  be  offered  to  general 
competition,  without  this  restriction  of  residence  in 
the  college.  To  this  proposal  Liddell  ultimately 
gave  his  full  adhesion ;  he  had  for  long  been 
favourable  to  it,  but  doubted  the  wisdom  of  carrying 
so  great  a  change  without  evidence  of  a  strong 
backing  of  public  sentiment  in  its  favour.  The 


CH.  VII]         Liddelts  impartiality 


245 


question  has  been  settled — at  least  for  a  time — 
by  a  compromise.  The  forty  Queen's  Scholars  still 
exist  within  their  college  fortress ;  but  there  are 
now  twenty  more  scholars,  of  whom  this  obligation 
of  residence  is  not  exacted  :  so  that  clever  boys  who 
are  desirous  of  living  at  home  and  attending  the 
school  as  day-boys  may  yet  enjoy  the  dignity  of 
a  Queen's  Scholarship. 

Both  at  Cheltenham  and  at  Westminster  Dean 
Liddell  had  to  perform  the  duty  (perhaps  the 
most  arduous  duty  that  belongs  to  governors  of  a 
school)  of  selecting  a  Headmaster.  To  this  task  he 
brought  the  same  inflexible  justice  which  he  showed 
on  every  occasion.  No  consideration  of  personal 
friendship,  or  college  claims,  would  influence  him 
for  a  moment  in  preferring  one  whom  he  deemed 
a  less  worthy  to  a  more  worthy  candidate.  He 
would  be  even  a  little  suspicious  of  such  claims, 
and  look  with  the  utmost  readiness  on  the  merits 
of  candidates  who  were  strangers  to  him.  It  was 
a  grand  and  a  rare  impartiality,  and  gave  to  his 
final  judgment  a  unique  weight  and  authority. 

He  may  be  contrasted  in  this  respect  with  a 
brother  Head,  who  was  always  firmly  convinced 
that  members  of  his  own  college  were  of  pre- 
eminent merit.     '  They  have  not  taken  our  man 

at  ,'  said  one  of  his  Fellows  to  him  after  an 

election  to  a  Headmastership.  'Have  they  not?' 
said  the  chief,  '  then  they  have  made  a  very  great 
mistake.  He  was  by  far  the  best  of  the  candidates. 
By  the  way,'  he  added  a  few  minutes  afterwards. 


246        Deanery  of  Christ  Church      [ch.  vn 


'  can  you  tell  me  who  were  standing  for  that  Head- 
mastership  ?    I  have  never  heard  their  names.' 

It  will  perhaps  be  a  matter  of  surprise  to  the 
reader  that  no  reference  has  been  made  to  Liddell's 
own  sermons  throughout  his  long  tenure  of  the 
Deanery.  It  was  certainly  a  matter  of  regret  with 
those  who  remembered  the  excellence  of  his  preach- 
ing during  the  years  of  his  residence  as  Tutor  (as 
has  been  previously  mentioned),  that  after  his  return 
to  Oxford  as  Dean  he  seldom  preached  before  the 
University.  Sir  Henry  Acland,  one  of  the  few 
persons  now  living  who  heard  those  earlier  sermons, 
still  cherishes  the  most  enthusiastic  admiration  for 
Liddell  as  a  theologian,  insisting  on  his  richly-stored 
mind,  his  well-balanced  judgment,  his  uncontroversial 
temper,  and  wide  charity.  He  instances  particularly 
a  sermon  on  John  vii.  17,  in  which  the  phrase  '  If  any 
man  will  do  his  wall '  was  discussed  with  elaborate  care 
and  thoroughness.  Other  men  of  the  older  genera- 
tion fully  confirm  this  estimate.  Even  in  the  last 
year  of  his  life  he  received  an  urgent  request  from 
Dr.  A.  S.  Farrer,  Canon  of  Durham,  that  he  would 
publish  some  of  the  sermons  which  he  had  preached 
more  than  half  a  century  before  at  Whitehall  or  at 
St.  Mary's.  And  Mr.  Goldwin  Smith,  in  recording 
his  recollections  of  Liddell  in  those  distant  days, 
dwells  on  his  high  reputation  as  a  theologian,  and 
expresses  his  disappointment  that  the  promise  of  that 
time  was  not  fulfilled  in  later  years. 

'  There  was,  I  think,'  he  writes,  '  a  certain  turn  in 
the  course  of  the  Dean's  life  and  interests.    In  the 


CH.  VII]     Liddelts  Sermons  as  Dean  247 

midst  of  the  theological  fray  at  Oxford  between 
the  Oxford  school  and  its  opponents,  he  preached 
one  or  two  very  able  sermons  of  a  liberal  and 
philosophic  kind,  and  raised  the  expectation  that  he 
was  going  to  be,  as  he  well  might  have  been,  a 
theological  leader  in  that  line.  But  he  seemed 
afterwards  to  turn  aside  and  to  devote  himself 
entirely  to  Classical  pursuits,  and  to  the  production 
of  the  Lexicon  which  has  been  such  a  blessing  to 
all  scholars.  Perhaps  it  was  that  his  serene  mind 
abhorred  controversy,  and  foresaw  that  if  he  gave 
himself  up  to  theology  in  those  days,  controversy 
must  be  the  result.  Still,  by  some  of  us  the 
Lexicon,  excellent  as  it  is,  was  not  accepted  as  a 
full  indemnification  for  the  disappointment  of  the 
hopes  of  light  and  leading  with  which  we  had  been 
inspired.' 

Whatever  cause  may  be  assigned,  it  is  undoubtedly 
true  that  after  Liddell's  return  to  Oxford  in  1855  he 
rarely  preached  before  the  University  except  on 
Good  Friday  and  Christmas  Day,  when  it  was  his 
duty  to  do  so.  But  his  words  were  always  well  worth 
hearing.  In  Michaelmas  Term,  1867,  he  delivered 
a  very  remarkable  sermon  on  the  philosophic  basis 
of  the  doctrine  of  the  Real  Presence.  It  attracted 
wide  attention,  and  was  published  '  in  deference  to 
opinions  which  the  author  is  bound  to  respect.'  He 
preached  indeed  not  unfrequently  in  the  Cathedral, 
after  the  introduction  of  morning  sermons  in  1869. 
It  was  his  custom  to  address  the  undergraduates 
on  the  first  Sunday  of  each  Term  ;  and  on  these 
occasions  he  would  deal  with  current  events  in  the 


248        Deanery  of  Christ  Church 

political  and  religious  world,  and  widi  incidents 
connected  with  the  common  life  which  they  shared 
together  as  members  of  Christ  Church.  He  was 
occasionally  persuaded  to  print  his  discourses  for 
private  circulation ;  and  a  special  interest  still  attaches 
to  those  which  narrated  the  history  of  the  Cathedral 
church,  and  described  the  demolition  and  partial 
reconstruction  of  the  shrine  of  St.  Frideswide.  But 
there  is  no  doubt  that,  as  he  grew  older,  he 
shrank  more  and  more  from  theological  discussions ; 
and  indeed,  as  some  of  his  later  letters  indicate, 
ceased  to  interest  himself  in  questions  which  even 
in  a  remote  degree  trenched  on  theological  con- 
troversy. Moreover,  distaste  for  the  attempt  to 
solve  matters  insoluble  was  an  abiding  element  of 
his  character.  In  almost  the  last  letter  which  he 
wrote  to  Sir  Henry  Acland  (Christmas  Eve,  1897), 
he  refers  to  '  my  old  dislike  of  speculation  in  things 
we  cannot  know — "Die  Kerle  die  speculiren," 
Goethe  says.' 


I 


CHAPTER  VIII 


HOME  LIFE 

The  chief  events  of  the  Dean's  long  reign  at 
Christ  Church  have  now  been  briefly  sketched,  and 
an  attempt  has  been  made  to  give  a  faithful  picture 
of  some  of  the  many  phases  of  his  busy  public  life. 
But  the  picture  needs  to  be  completed  by  a  short 
description  of  his  home  life  during  the  same  period. 

When  he  came  back  to  Oxford  from  Westminster, 
his  family  consisted  of  one  son  and  three  daughters, 
the  youngest  of  whom  was  quite  an  infant,  having 
been  born  in  January  of  the  previous  year.  Two 
daughters  and  three  sons  were  born  at  the  Deanery, 
and  one  of  them,  Albert  Edward  Arthur  (whose 
names  indicate  his  two  godfathers,  the  Prince  of 
Wales  and  Arthur  Stanley),  died  in  infancy,  as 
has  been  already  mentioned,  in  May  1863.  For 
many  years  therefore  the  home  life  involved,  for 
the  parents,  the  care  and  training  of  their  children, 
and  all  the  delightful  interests  which  gather  round 
the  life  of  a  young  family.  The  reminiscences  of 
this  period  are  full  of  charm  ;  and  the  apparent 
contrast  between  the  public  and  private  life  of  the 

K  k 


250 


Home  Life 


[CH.  VIII 


Dean  will  perhaps  surprise  many  who  dealt  with 
him  only  in  official  relations. 

The  home  life,  as  recalled  by  those  who  knew 
it  best,  was  a  very  simple  and  happy  one.  He 
tried  to  be  with  his  children  as  much  as  was  possible 
amid  the  business  of  the  Term,  and  of  an  evening 
was  accustomed  to  hasten  up  to  the  drawing-room 
as  soon  as  dinner  (not  so  late  then  as  now)  was 
ended,  that  they  might  have  their  hour's  reading 
before  bed-time  came  between  8  and  9.  He  shared 
their  enjoyment  of  good  tales  of  adventure,  and 
some  favourite  books  he  read  over  two  or  three 
times  to  different  detachments  of  his  children.  The 
first  book  of  his  choice  was  The  Children  of  the 
New  Forest ;  and  as  soon  as  the)^  were  old  enough 
to  appreciate  Scott  he  would  read  some  of  the 
Waverley  novels,  selecting  Ivanhoe  to  begin  with, 
and  then  his  own  special  favourites,  The  Antigtmry 
and  Old  Mortality.  He  was  intensely  fond  of  Scott, 
both  of  his  novels  and  of  his  poetry ;  the  '  swing ' 
of  the  verses  had  a  peculiar  charm  for  him ;  and 
the  listeners  learnt  to  share  his  taste.  Then,  after 
the  children  had  gone  to  bed,  he  was  accustomed 
to  work  for  an  hour  or  more,  correcting  the  Lexicon ; 
and  when  they  grew  older,  and  sat  up  till  a  later 
hour,  he  would  delight  in  listening  to  their  music 
as  he  went  on  uninterruptedly  with  his  work. 

His  children  cherish  with  loving  remembrance 
those  early  days.  However  pressing  the  calls  upon 
his  time  might  be,  he  still  found  leisure  to  be  with 
them  during  some  part  of  every  day.    Their  first 


cH.  viii]  Leisure  moments  with  his  children  251 

thought,  when  family  prayers  were  over  in  the 
morning,  was  to  arrange  the  hour  for  a  ride  with 
him,  which  generally  they  took  in  turns.  They  con- 
sulted the  Letts's  diary  which  many  will  remember 
hanging  by  his  fireplace  in  the  study,  and  found 
there  a  list  of  his  engagements  for  the  day ;  and 
according  to  these  the  time  for  the  ride  was  fixed. 
On  Mondays,  when  the  Hebdomadal  Council  always 
met  at  one  o'clock,  a  morning  hour  was  necessarily 
chosen,  involving  the  additional  pleasure  of  a  respite 
from  lessons.  The  high  ground  about  Bagley  Wood 
and  Foxcombe,  or  the  forest  glades  of  Wytham  Park, 
were  their  usual  resort.  And  as  they  rode,  their 
father  taught  them  to  know  the  different  forest 
trees,  and  to  notice  the  clouds  and  shadows  and 
all  the  beauties  of  nature,  or  would  tell  them  tales 
from  history,  or  talk  of  the  books  he  was  reading 
aloud  to  them ;  and,  as  they  grew  older,  would 
discuss  various  questions  of  the  day. 

In  holiday  time  he  was  able  to  be  much  more 
with  his  children,  and  shared  in  all  their  interests. 
After  Christmas  Day  (on  which  festival  it  is 
the  Dean's  duty  to  preach  in  the  Cathedral  at 
Christ  Church)  the  whole  family  were  accustomed, 
so  long  as  his  father  was  alive,  to  go  down  to  the 
grand-parents'  home  at  Charlton  Kings ;  and  then 
would  come  all  sorts  of  Christmas  amusements,  and 
the  Dean  would  help  to  prepare  charades  and  com- 
pose parts  for  them  to  act.  He  was  always  expected 
to  enter  fully  into  their  pastimes,  and  nothing  was 
complete  without  his  co-operation  and  approval. 

K  k  2 


252 


Home  Life 


[CH,  VIII 


In  i86i  a  small  plot  of  land  was  bought  near 
Llandudno,  in  order  that  a  suitable  house  might 
be  built  as  a  holiday  home.  It  was  called  Penmorfa, 
from  the  spot  on  which  it  stood,  and  was  first 
inhabited  in  the  long  vacation  of  1865.  It  was 
a  delightful  home  for  nine  consecutive  summers, 
till  the  growth  of  Llandudno,  and  its  invasion  by 
excursionists,  robbed  it  of  its  privacy  and  quiet. 
The  spot  chosen  for  the  house  was  a  singularly 
beautiful  one,  and  at  that  time  quite  retired.  It 
was  close  by  the  shore,  at  the  south-east  corner  of 
the  Great  Orme's  Head,  facing  due  south.  The 
view  extended  over  the  Conway  estuary,  first  to 
the  lower  heights  of  Penmaenbach,  Moel  Llys,  and 
Penmaenmawr,  with  the  ridge  of  Tal-y-fan  bounding 
the  amphitheatre  between  them,  and  then  beyond 
to  the  loftier  summits  of  Foel  Fras  and  Carnedd 
Llewellyn.  To  the  west  lay  an  expanse  of  shallow 
sea,  with  Anglesea  behind ;  and  on  a  fine  evening, 
when  the  tide  was  out  and  the  sun  set  over  the 
island,  there  were  wondrous  colours  thrown  on  the 
hills,  or  reflected  on  the  long  stretch  of  wet  sands. 
The  place  had  been  selected  on  account  of  the 
surpassing  loveliness  of  the  scene  ;  and  at  that  time, 
and  for  many  years  afterwards,  the  Great  Orme's 
Head  was  untouched  by  a  carriage  road,  and  was 
a  wild  and  little  frequented  headland,  scored  by 
rough  paths  and  sheep-tracks,  and  still  containing 
some  rare  plants  to  reward  the  search  of  botanists. 
Here  the  long  vacations  were  spent  by  the  children 
and  their  parents  in  unclouded  happiness ;  there 


cH.  vin]       Home  near  Llandudno  253 


were  endless  walks  and  scrambles  on  the  Great 
Orme,  picnics,  and  drives,  and  lessons  in  sketching, 
when  their  father  would  suggest  views  and  teach 
them  how  to  use  pencil  and  brush.  And  instead 
of  late  dinner,  there  was  a  common  high  tea  in 
which  the  children  joined,  one  of  them  always  sitting 
next  their  father  unless  some  tiresome  guest  usurped 
the  coveted  place.  Sometimes  if  the  day  had  been 
hot,  and  the  moon  was  near  the  full,  the  walk  would 
be  postponed  till  late,  and  a  ramble  by  moonlight 
over  the  Great  Orme  was  a  rare  and  special  treat. 

Visitors  came  and  went.  Among  them  was 
Mr.  (now  Sir  William)  Richmond,  who  spent  eight 
weeks  at  Penmorfa  engaged  in  painting  '  The 
Sisters,'  the  exquisite  picture  of  the  three  eldest 
daughters.  Mr.  Gladstone  also  came;  and  one 
day  in  the  midst  of  a  walk  round  the  Great  Orme 
he  suddenly  stopped,  and  clung  to  the  Dean, 
declaring  that  he  could  not  bear  to  look  down 
upon  the  sea  from  the  height  which  they  had 
reached.  They  were  on  a  steep  and  rocky  path, 
and  advance  or  retreat  was  equally  difficult.  The 
path  became  worse  as  they  clambered  down,  the 
Dean  leading  Mr.  Gladstone  along,  with  eyes  closed, 
while  the  rest  of  the  party  formed  a  sort  of  buttress 
to  protect  him  on  the  seaward  side.  They  were 
all  thankful  when  the  lower  ground  was  safely 
reached. 

Liddell's  own  tastes  were  of  a  very  simple  kind. 
He  was  abstemious,  and  scarcely  touched  wine. 
He  was  very  regular  in  his  hours,  and  never  worked 


254 


Home  Life 


[CH.  VIII 


late  at  night.  During  the  Oxford  Term,  he  was 
always  at  morning  chapel.  He  never  smoked,  and 
detested  the  pollution  of  the  fresh  air  by  the  fumes 
of  tobacco.  He  was  in  early  life,  and  indeed  for 
some  }ears  after  he  became  Dean,  a  good  walker, 
delighting  in  long  walks  :  but  Oxford  engagements 
so  greatly  curtailed  his  leisure  hours,  that  he  found 
riding  the  best  method  of  getting  sufficient  exercise 
in  a  short  space  of  time.  His  favourite  books  were 
Shakespeare,  Horace,  Scott,  and  Boswell's  Life  of 
fohnson.    They  were  always  on  his  study  table. 

'  I  read  Boswell's  Life  of  Johnson^  he  wrote, 
'  again  and  again  with  ever  increasing  pleasure. 
I  think  if  I  was  allowed  only  one  book  (besides  the 
Bible)  to  take  with  me  to  a  desert  island,  that  would 
be  the  book.' 

The  position  of  the  Dean  made  it  necessary  that 
the  Deanery  should  be  a  centre  of  hospitality,  and 
throughout  his  long  tenure  of  the  office  that  hospi- 
tality was  lavishly  extended,  not  only  to  members 
of  Christ  Church  and  the  wider  circle  of  the 
University,  but  also  to  the  frequent  guests  who 
visited  Oxford.  Mrs.  Liddell's  social  duties  made 
a  great  demand  upon  her  time  and  strength,  and 
many  generations  of  Oxford  men  will  recall  with 
gratitude  the  refined  courtesy  and  generous  welcome 
shown  to  all  their  guests  by  host  and  hostess. 
The  Dean  indeed  was  not  quite  at  his  best  if 
he  lacked  congenial  neighbours  at  the  table.  He 
used  to  confess  that  he  had  no  *  small  talk,'  and 
was  sometimes  not  a  little  irresponsive  in  ordinary 


CH.  viii]     Hospitality  at  the  Deanery  255 

conversation.  The  undergraduates,  who  were  con- 
scientiously asked  to  breakfast  at  the  Deanery, 
were  often  painfully  nervous  in  his  company,  and 
he  seemed  to  share  their  feelings.  But  with  friends 
whom  he  liked,  and  with  whose  tastes  he  was  in 
sympathy,  he  was  the  most  delightful  of  companions  ; 
full  of  accurate  information,  and  ready  to  pour  it 
out,  on  subjects  of  art,  or  history,  or  politics. 
He  was  a  careful  student  of  passing  events,  both 
domestic  and  foreign  ;  keenly  interested  in  all  the 
great  movements  of  his  time  ;  profoundly  distrust- 
ful of  Mr.  Gladstone  in  his  later  developments ; 
cherishing  warm  admiration  for  some  of  the  states- 
men of  the  older  generation,  especially  Sir  Robert 
Peel.  He  used  sometimes  to  say  that  no  deaths 
had  inflicted  so  great  loss  upon  England  in  his 
time  as  the  deaths  of  the  Prince  Consort  and 
Sir  George  Cornewall  Lewis.  He  was  full  of 
bitter  sorrow  when  the  news  of  Gordon's  death 
arrived.  In  answer  to  a  birthday  letter  from  his 
eldest  daughter  he  wrote : 

'  I  ought  not  to  reply  to  your  affectionate  words 
in  so  sad  a  strain.  But  really,  just  at  present,  my 
heart  is  woe  for  Gordon,  and  the  feeling  touches 
all  my  thoughts.  It  is  the  saddest,  most  dismal 
event  that  I  have  lived  to  see.  When  your  Uncle 
Charles  heard  of  it  he  burst  into  tears,  and  my 
feelings  were  close  akin  to  his.  What  a  true  hero  ! 
I  was  sure  he  would  never  be  a  prisoner.  Better 
that  he  should  die  sword  in  hand  than  that  he 
should  fall  into  the  hands  of  those  savages.' 


256 


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[CH.  VIII 


As  the  years  passed  on,  there  came  to  the  home 
at  the  Deanery  the  inevitable  alternations  of  joy 
and  sorrow  which  life  is  sure  to  bring.  There  was 
the  proud  satisfaction  of  the  parents  when  their 
younger  son  won  a  scholarship  at  Eton,  and  after- 
wards crowned  a  brilliant  career  at  Christ  Church 
by  gaining  a  First  Class  in  the  Classical  School, 
and  a  Fellowship  at  All  Souls  College.  On  hearing 
of  his  son's  success  in  the  Schools  in  July  1888 
he  wrote : 

'  You  can  imagine — no,  indeed,  you  hardly  can 
imagine — the  delight  which  we  all  felt  on  receiving 
Lionel's  telegram  announcing  the  news  of  your 
success.  Never  was  success  better  deserved.  .  .  . 
And  now,  my  dear  boy  (I  must  still  call  you  boy), 
you  are  fairly  launched  on  the  sea  of  life.  You 
begin  with  good  auspices,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
that,  so  far  as  your  own  efforts  go,  as  has  been 
the  beginning,  so  will  be  the  whole  course  of 
your  life.  I  cannot  expect  to  see  much  of  your 
future  career.  But  I  have  seen  enough  of  it  to 
make  me  feel  ready  to  depart  in  peace  and  in  con- 
fidence. We  are,  indeed,  very  happy  in  our  children. 
So  long  as  my  life  is  spared,  your  career  will  be, 
as  it  has  been,  one  chief  cause  of  happiness  and 
contentment.  Your  mother  will  add  her  greetings 
to  this  imperfect  expression  of  my  own  feelings.' 

There  were  three  happy  marriages,  and  delightful 
•    visits  to  the  new  homes  of  their  son  and  daughters 
in  Hants  and  Fife,  with  all  the  affectionate  interest 
taken  in  the  grandchildren  whom  they  loved  to  have 
near  them.     The  Dean's  letters  to  his  married 


CH.  VIII]   Death  of  his  daughter  Edith  257 


daughters  are  full  of  simple  kindly  goodness ;  every 
detail  of  their  lives  he  wishes  to  hear  of ;  and,  as 
often  as  he  can,  he  contrives  to  be  with  them. 

But  there  were  heavy — very  heavy — bereave- 
ments also.  His  intense  affection  for  both  parents 
made  him  feel  very  deeply  the  loss  of  his  mother 
in  1 87 1,  and  of  his  father  in  the  following  year. 
Then  in  June  1876  came  the  crushing  blow  of  his 
daughter  Edith's  death  at  the  age  of  twenty-two, 
following  close  upon  the  joy  of  her  engagement  to 
be  married,  and  coming  with  a  startling  suddenness 
after  an  illness  of  three  days.  The  sorrow  was  so 
profound,  so  sacred,  that  it  must  not  be  dwelt  on. 
even  at  this  distance  of  time.  But  one  may  be 
allowed  to  quote  a  letter  which  Sir  James  Paget, 
who  had  been  called  in  to  advise  on  the  case, 
addressed  to  Sir  Henry  Acland  immediately  after 
hearing  of  the  death  : 

'  This  is  surely  the  saddest  thing  that  we  have 
known  amon^r  all  the  sadnesses  that  our  callinof 
has  brought  us  to  the  sight  of — a  very  tragedy. 
Nothing  seems  wanting  for  the  perfection  of  sad- 
ness, and  one  cannot  discern,  in  any  of  this  world's 
hopes,  a  gleam  of  consolation.  May  God  grant 
peace  and  comfort  in  the  sure  hope  of  heaven's 
joy.  It  seems  very  hard  to  be  unable  to  stand 
aside  for  a  time,  and  let  life  run  by,  while  one 
might  try  to  learn  wisdom  from  these  sorrows. 
But  it  cannot  be  ;  the  work  must  be  done,  and, 
much  worse,  the  pleasure  must  be  worked  out' 

A  window  at  the  east  end  of  the  south  choir  aisle 

L  1 


258 


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[CH.  VIII 


at  Christ  Church,  called  the  St.  Catherine's  window, 
enshrines  his  daughter's  memory ;  and  her  grave 
is  just  beyond  it,  in  the  quiet  greensward  which 
fringes  the  church.  The  inscription  below  the 
window  tells  the  tale  : — 

Sacra  memoriae  EDITHvE 
Henrici  et  Lorinae  Liddell  filiae, 
Ou£e,  juveni  constantissima  fide 
Vix  quinque  dies  desponsa, 
Morbo  correpta  subitaneo 
Animam  Deo  reddidit 
Junii  die  xxvi°  a.d.  MDCCCLXXvi. 

Ave  dulcissima,  dilectissima  Ave. 

The  wound  was  long  in  healing.  A  rest  in 
retirement  at  Holnicote  brought  back  in  some 
measure  the  needed  calm  and  physical  strength  ; 
but  the  memory  of  those  days  was  always  fresh. 
From  Holnicote  the  Dean  wrote  a  few  lines  to  his 
old  friend  Scott : 

'  Many  thanks — such  as  an  aching  heart  can 
render — for  your  kind  letter.  We  are  here  for 
three  weeks  or  thereabouts :  Sir  T.  Acland  has 
most  kindly  lent  us  this  quiet  and  beautiful  place 
to  rest  in ;  and  we  are  all  better,  though  what  some 
of  us  had  gone  through,  both  in  actual  watching 
and  still  more  in  terrible  anxiety,  cannot  soon  be 
overcome.' 

The  death  of  Mrs.  Liddell's  aunt,  Lady  Smith,  in 
1877,  at  the  remarkable  age  of  103  years  and  9 
months,  and  of  her  mother,  Mrs.  Reeve,  in  1879, 
brought  more  sadness  to  the  house ;  but  perhaps 
few  deaths  affected  Dean  Liddell  more  deeply  than 


CH.  VIIl] 


Dean  Stanley  s  death 


259 


that  of  his  very  clear  friend  Arthur  Stanley,  which 
occurred  after  a  short  illness  in  July  i88r,  at  the 
comparatively  early  age  of  sixty-five.  Liddell's 
affection  for  the  Dean  of  Westminster,  who  was 
less  than  five  years  his  junior,  has  already  been 
mentioned ;  the  two  had  been  drawn  together  in 
many  ways  for  many  years,  and  were  closely  united 
in  sympathies,  religious  and  political.  Liddell  heard 
the  news  of  his  death  when  he  was  staying  with  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Skene,  at  Pitlour,  and  wrote  at  once 
to  Mrs.  Liddell,  who  was  then  at  Oxford  : 

'Alas!  alas!  and  so  my  worst  fears  are  realized; 
and  our  dear,  dear  friend  must  be  taken  to  his  last 
rest  in  that  Abbey  which  he  loved  so  well,  and 
which  owes  so  much  to  him.  Ah  me !  Out  of  my 
own  dear  family  no  death  could  so  rend  my  heart. 
Is  there  any  one  in  England  whose  loss  would  be 
felt  by  so  many,  by  people  of  so  different  conditions, 
creeds,  and  opinions  ?  There  was  an  all-embracing, 
loving  kindliness  in  his  nature  which  disarmed 
enmity,  and  made  even  those  who  most  differed 
from  him  regard  him  with  affection.  It  is  a  public 
loss,  of  which  we  can  scarcely  estimate  the  effect 
or  the  amount.  I  cannot,  I  cannot  bear  to  think 
that  I  shall  never  again  press  his  hand,  or  be 
greeted  by  his  friendly  smile,  or  listen  to  the  charm 
of  his  words.  What  a  fatal  year !  Not  to  speak 
of  our  own  family  loss — Rolleston,  Coxe,  and  now 
our  dear  Stanley  gone !  They  indeed  were  delivered 
from  a  state  of  hopeless  disease,  and  they  lived  long 
enough  in  misery  to  make  their  nearest  and  dearest 
pray  for  their  release.  But  he — how  sudden  has 
been  his  departure,  how  little  expected,  how  crushing 
L  1  2 


26o 


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[CH.  VIII 


to  those  who  loved  him  !  Yet  better  so,  than  that  he 
should  have  suffered  a  lingering  and  hopeless  illness, 
and  died  after  such  a  struggle  as  our  poor  friend  at 

 is  making.    Peace  be  with  him,  as  it  assuredly 

is  with  him.  "  Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous, 
and  let  my  last  end  be  like  his." 

'  T  cannot  pass,  on  this  paper,  from  thoughts  of 
our  beloved  friend  to  those  business  matters  which 
must  claim  attention  while  we  are  left  on  earth  to 
minister  one  to  another.  Presently  I  shall  be  more 
collected,  and  will  write  a  few  lines  respecting  what 
we  can  and  may  do  this  summer.' 

Next  day  he  wrote  again,  having  received  by 
telegraph  an  urgent  request  to  preach  the  funeral 
sermon  on  Stanley  in  Westminster  Abbey  : 

'  The  telegram  arrived  about  3  p.m.  }  esterday. 
I  answered:  "Most  reluctantly  I  must  decline.  The 
distance  and  the  heat  I  could  not  well  bear."  And 
I  have  written  in  detail  to-day.  I  could  not  have 
got  through  a  sermon  in  the  Abbey — I  am  sure 
I  could  not.  Alas !  if  it  were  not  for  you,  my 
dearest,  and  my  beloved  children,  and  one  or  two 
others,  I  feel  as  if  life  were  at  an  end  for  me.  All 
with  whom  one  had  sympathy  falling  one  by  one. 
It  is  a  sad  privilege  to  survive.' 

It  will  be  well  to  add  in  this  place — as  the  matter 
affected  Liddell's  private  rather  than  his  public 
life — that  on  Stanley's  death  he  was  offered  the 
Deanery  of  Westminster,  and  was  very  urgently 
pressed  to  take  it.  It  was  difficult  to  resist  a  pres- 
sure which  implied  an  appreciation  of  his  exceptional 
litness  for  the  post,  and  a  gracious  desire  that  he 


CH.  VIII]    Offer  of  Deanery  of  JVeshninstev  261 


should  accept  it,  on  the  part  of  those  whose  wishes 
were  almost  equivalent  to  a  command  ;  but  Liddell, 
while  feeling  very  deeply  the  honour  paid  to  him,  was 
conscious  of  his  own  inability  at  the  age  of  seventy 
to  undertake  the  very  arduous  duties  of  a  new  post, 
including  the  obligation  of  preaching  sermons  to 
vast  congregations,  and  of  guiding  the  services,  and 
superintending  all  the  varied  matters  of  business 
connected  with  the  rule  of  the  great  Abbey.  It 
was  a  position  rendered  far  more  difficult  than  it 
would  otherwise  have  been,  from  Stanley's  splendid 
work  as  Dean  ;  it  was  one  which  for  Liddell  had  no 
attractions  :  his  experience  had  not  fitted  him  for  it ; 
he  had  never  liked  Westminster  as  a  residence  in 
former  days,  and  was  convinced  that  his  health 
would  break  down  if,  at  his  now  advanced  age,  he 
were  once  more  to  live  there.  His  decision  was 
quite  clear,  and  was  formed  without  any  misgivings, 
and  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  was  a  right  one.  He 
had  yet  strength  for  ten  years  more  work  in  the 
familiar  world  of  Oxford  ;  if  he  had  been  trans- 
planted to  Westminster  he  would,  in  all  probability, 
soon  have  sunk  under  the  burden  of  the  novel 
and  uncongenial  duties  which  would  have  faced 
him  there. 

Liddell's  health,  however,  had  been  for  many  years 
satisfactory.  The  weakness  of  the  chest,  which  had 
assumed  so  alarming  a  character  in  1856,  had 
yielded  to  the  prescribed  remedies.  After  two 
winters  spent  in  the  island  of  Madeira — '  that 
island  of  the  Atlantic  (as   he  alluded  to   it  in 


262 


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[CH.  VllI 


a  sermon  more  than  thirty  years  afterwards)  which 
by  its  equable  dimate  and  gentle  air  seems  to 
realize  the  description  given  by  the  great  lyric  poet 
of  Greece  of  the  islands  of  the  blest,' — he  returned 
to  work  with  health  fully  restored.  Except  for 
crippling  attacks  of  sciatica,  painful  and  depressing 
at  the  time,  he  rarely  ailed,  and  all  the  duties  of 
his  post  were  discharged  year  after  year  with 
unfailing  regularity.  In  1865,  however,  he  met 
with  a  troublesome  accident  in  Switzerland.  He 
had  been  detained  in  Oxford  that  summer  later 
than  usual,  owing  to  the  contested  election  for 
Mr.  Gladstone's  seat  at  Oxford,  which  was  then  lost 
to  Mr.  Gathorne  Hardy. 

'It  is  very  vexatious,'  writes  Liddell  from  the 
Sheldonian  Theatre;  'the  University  is  disgraced. 
To  think  that  Oxford  should  reject  Gladstone,  and 
that  such  a  constituency  as  Westminster  should 
have  returned  Mr.  John  Stuart  Mill !' 

After  this  annoying  business  Liddell  started  for 
Switzerland  in  company  with  Dr.  Acland  and  one 
of  Acland's  sons,  and  made  for  Engelberg.  There, 
while  descending  a  steep  path,  he  slipped  on  a  moss- 
covered  stone  and  turned  his  left  foot.  He  was 
with  difficulty  brought  to  the  hotel,  being  quite 
unable  to  walk,  and  having  to  wait  on  the  mountain 
until  dark,  when  a  chaise-a-porteurs  reached  him. 
At  Engelberg  he  was  a  prisoner  for  a  week,  and 
then  travelled  by  easy  stages  to  Paris,  where 
M.  Nelaton,  the  Emperor's  surgeon,  visited  him 


CH.  VIIl] 


Snowed  up  at  Radley 


263 


and  discovered  that  the  small  bone  of  the  leg  was 
broken.  It  was  properly  set  at  once,  and  in  time 
Penmorfa  was  reached,  and  the  comforts  of  home 
obtained.  Happily  no  permanent  bad  consequences 
resulted  from  the  accident. 

In  the  severe  winter  of  1 880-1  Liddell  endured  a 
strange  and  most  unpleasant  experience.  On  January 
18  he  was  travelling  to  Oxford  from  Bournemouth, 
in  company  with  Mrs.  Liddell,  his  youngest  daughter 
and  two  sons,  when  on  reaching  a  cutting  near 
Radley  station  the  train  came  to  a  standstill  in 
a  deep  snow-drift.  It  could  not  be  extricated,  and 
the  passengers  were  detained  for  nearly  twenty-four 
hours  in  the  carriage,  without  food,  drink,  warmth, 
or  light.  He  described  the  event  in  a  letter  to 
Mrs.  Skene : 

'  You  really  have  no  need  to  distress  yourself 
about  us.  Strange  to  say,  we  have  none  of  us 
suffered  materially  from  our  Arctic  experiences. 
I  do  not  think  I  can  remember  such  a  day  as 
Tuesday  the  i8th,  with  Tuesday  night  and 
Wednesday  morning.  The  wind  howled,  and  was 
so  furious  that  the  heavy  railway  carriages  shook 
and  rocked  under  its  force.  The  snow  drove  in 
swirling  eddies  all  round  and  round.  It  drove 
into  the  carriages  through  every  crevice  ;  we  had 
no  light,  for  no  lamp  was  in  the  carriages ;  no 
warmth,  for  the  hot-water  tins  were  cold  as  ice  ; 
no  food  to  create  inner  warmth.  Twenty-two  hours 
without  food  at  that  temperature  was  indeed  a  great 
privation.  Your  mother  and  Vio  were  our  great 
comforters.     They  retained  their  spirits,  and  to 


264 


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some  extent  their  warmth,  through  all.  I  beinfr 
held  fast  by  the  gout  was  a  helpless  piece  of  goods, 
I  fear,  but  I  hope  I  did  not  add  materially  to  the 
difficulties.  I  should  not  have  cared  half  as  much 
if  I  could  have  got  about.  I  think  I  suffered  most 
in  being  carried  by  soldiers  for  about  200  yards 
from  our  carriage  to  the  station,  the  snow  driving 
furiously  in  one's  face,  and  the  poor  fellows  stagger- 
ing with  my  weight  through  the  deep  snow. 
I  wonder  how  they  got  me  along  at  all.  You 
would  have  been  amused  to  see  the  motley  party 
assembled  about  eleven  on  Wednesday  morning  in 
the  little  third-class  waiting-room  at  Radley  station, 
a  stoker  handing  round  tea  from  a  kettle,  and 
afterwards  coffee  in  a  bedroom  ewer;  all  drinking 
in  turn  from  the  same  tin  can.' 

It  is  a  matter  of  surprise  that  no  lasting  bad 
effects  resulted  from  this  rough  experience.  The 
Dean  soon  recovered  from  the  shock  and  fatigue, 
and  within  a  few  weeks  was  able  to  discharge  his 
multifarious  duties  with  his  accustomed  regularity. 


CHAPTER  IX 


RESIGNATION  OF  THE  DEANERY,  AND  AFTER-LIFE 

So  the  time  passed  on,  every  year  adding  authority 
and  dignity  to  the  venerable  Dean.  Honours 
came  to  him  from  various  quarters.  At  Stanley's 
death  he  succeeded  to  his  post  of  Professor  of 
Ancient  History  at  the  Royal  Academy.  He  be- 
came a  Trustee  of  the  British  Museum,  and  received 
the  Hon.  Degree  of  LL.D.  at  Edinburgh.  His 
duties  at  Christ  Church  were  still  discharged  with 
unimpaired  efficiency ;  nothing  was  neglected  or 
delegated  to  others ;  and  those  who  shared  in  the 
government  of  the  House  wondered  at  the  readiness 
with  which  he  threw  himself  into  the  discussion 
of  the  many  and  various  proposals  for  changes  and 
improvements  which  emanated  from  the  governing 
body.  He  had  none  of  the  conservative  instincts 
which  are  so  commonly  found  in  elderly  men  :  he 
welcomed  reforms  to  the  last. 

'  Only  a  few  months  before  his  resignation,'  writes 
Mr.  Sampson,  then  Senior  Censor, '  Sadler  and  myself 
and  one  or  two  others  raised  the  question  of  what 
Christ  Church  did  for  poor  men,  and  the  "Extension" 
question  generally  (out  of  which  the  College  at 

M  m 


266       Resignation  of  the  Deanery      [ch.  ix 


Reading  grew).  We  had  a  large  committee,  and 
held  long  meetings,  and  the  Dean  was  as  wise 
and  generous  and  far-sighted  as  ever.  There  was 
none  of  the  natural  inertia  and  non  possumus  of 
old  age,  but  he  was  kindly  and  hopeful,  as  though 
he  were  planning  out  a  bit  of  work  of  which  he 
would  be  able  to  see  the  issue.' 

But  the  burden  of  his  office  grew  heavier  with 
advancing  years ;  an  exceptionally  severe  attack 
of  sciatica  in  1887  permanently  impaired  his  walking 
powers ;  and  Liddell  had  often  averred,  both  in 
public  and  in  private,  that  he  would  not  consent 
to  retain  the  Deanery  when  he  was  no  longer  able 
to  perform  its  duties  efficiently.  '  I  have  spoken 
to  my  medical  adviser,'  he  once  said  at  the  Gaudy, 
'  and  have  made  him  promise  to  tell  me  as  soon 
as  he  thinks  that  I  am  becoming  in  any  way  unfit 
for  my  post :  and  as  soon  as  that  is  told  me  I  shall 
resign.'  The  audience  thought  perhaps  of  the 
Archbishop  and  Gil  Bias ;  but  the  statement  was 
made  in  all  sincerity,  and  the  promise  faithfully 
observed.  In  the  summer  of  189 1  the  final  resolution 
was  come  to,  and  resignation  was  determined  upon. 
He  wrote  to  Lord  Salisbury  on  August  8  : 

'  Dear  Lord  Salisbury, 

'  I  have  waited  for  the  prorogation  of  Parlia- 
ment, when  you  will  be  in  some  measure  freed  from 
the  pressure  of  business,  before  I  communicate  to 
you  a  purpose  which  I  have  deliberately  formed. 
It  is,  to  resign  my  office  of  Dean  of  Christ  Church. 

'  You  will  believe  that  it  is  not  without  many 


CH. IX] 


Letter  to  Lord  Salisbtiry 


267 


searchings  of  heart  that  I  have  come  to  this 
conclusion.  Christ  Church  has  been  my  home 
(barring  nine  years  at  Westminster)  for  more  than 
sixty  years.  But  it  is  my  affection  for  the  place 
that  induces  me  to  take  this  step.  I  am  now  in 
my  eighty-first  year,  and  feel  that  my  work  ought 
to  be  committed  to  younger  and  more  vigorous 
hands.  I  will  not  say  that  I  am  unable  to  perform 
the  routine  duties  of  my  office.  But  I  am  conscious 
of  various  infirmities  incident  to  advancing  years, 
and  I  cannot  now  take  such  part  in  academical 
and  other  business  as  ought  to  be  undertaken  by 
a  person  in  my  position.  It  cannot  indeed  be  long 
before  I  must  of  necessity  make  the  vacancy  which 
I  now  propose  to  make  voluntarily.  But  I  wish, 
if  I  am  permitted,  to  walk  out  of  the  Deanery  rather 
than  be  carried  out.  This  will  be  best  for  the 
college  and  myself.  I  have  the  satisfaction  of 
believing  that  I  leave  the  college  in  full  efficiency, 
and  that  there  never  was  a  better  or  more  devoted 
set  of  officers  in  charge. 

'  At  Christmas  then  I  propose  that  my  resignation 
shall  take  effect.  I  announce  this  purpose  to  your 
Lordship  beforehand,  that  you  may  have  time  to 
consider  whom  you  will  recommend  to  be  my 
successor. 

'  Meantime,  in  the  interest  of  the  college,  it  will 
I  think  be  expedient  not  to  let  the  matter  be 
generally  known.  But  this  I  leave  to  your  better 
judgment. 

'  I  have  the  honour  to  remain, 
'  Dear  Lord  Salisbury, 

'  Yours  very  faithfull)-, 

'  Henry  G.  Liddell.' 


M  m  2 


268        Resignation  of  the  Deanery      [ch.  ix 


And  so  at  the  end  of  1891,  after  a  reign  extending 
over  thirty-six  years  and  one  term,  he  retired  from 
his  high  office.  He  had  taken  a  comfortable  house 
situated  among  the  pine  woods  of  Ascot,  with  shel- 
tered lawns  and  gardens,  and  a  wide  range  of  fine 
open  country  around,  affording  pleasant  drives  in  all 
directions.  Here  he  spent  the  remaining  six  years 
of  his  life,  with  his  wife  and  unmarried  daughters, 
in  the  enjoyment  of  well-earned  and  dignified  repose. 

He  was  never  idle,  even  in  these  years  of  leisure. 
His  faculties  were  happily  quite  unimpaired.  He 
seldom  used  spectacles,  except  when  persuaded  to 
wear  them  for  reading  of  an  evening.  His  hearing 
remained  perfect,  and  his  mind  as  vigorous  as  ever. 
He  still  worked,  as  has  been  recorded,  at  the 
Lexicon,  making  many  corrections  throughout,  and 
compiling  a  few  pages  of  addenda  and  corrigenda 
for  the  final  edition,  which  was  published  in  the 
year  before  his  death.  He  delighted  in  reading 
modern  literature,  and  especially  good  biographies. 
He  enjoyed  the  society  of  his  neighbours  and 
welcomed  their  friendship,  and  showed  a  kindly 
sympathy  with  all  their  doings.  His  advice  and 
assistance  were  continually  sought  for  in  matters 
of  business,  and  he  was  always  ready  to  give  the 
help  of  his  wise  counsel  and  ripe  experience,  and 
found  himself  chairman  of  various  small  committees 
to  promote  local  objects.  He  took  as  keen  and 
lively  an  interest  in  the  discussion  as  to  the 
remodelling  of  a  golf  club  as  he  had  ever  taken 
in  matters  of  academical  importance ;  and  busied 


CH.  IX]  Proposed  Statue  at  Christ  Church  269 


himself  eagerly  in  the  establishment  of  the  Nursing 
Home  in  South  Ascot,  of  which  Mrs.  Liddell  is 
now  President.  He  was  often  consulted  as  to  the 
appointments  to  Oxford  Chairs ;  and  he  retained 
to  the  last  one  or  two  ties  with  the  University. 
He  was  made  an  Honorary  Student  of  Christ 
Church,  and  was  still  a  Curator  of  the  University 
Galleries  ;  and  one  of  the  last  visits  that  he  paid  to 
Oxford  was  to  take  part  in  the  election  of  a  suc- 
cessor to  Professor  Wallace  in  the  Chair  of  Moral 
Philosophy  which  he  had  himself  occupied  half 
a  century  before.  One  matter  disturbed  him  a  little 
in  1892:  the  urgent  request  which  came  from  his 
old  friends,  Sir  John  Mowbray  and  Mr.  Vere  Bayne, 
that  he  would  allow  them  to  place  his  statue  in 
the  niche  on  the  north  side  of  Kill-Canon.  This 
proposal  was  genuinely  distasteful  to  him.  To 
Sir  John  Mowbray's  first  letter  on  the  subject  he 
replied : 

'  I  feel  deeply  the  high  honour  which  you  and 
Mr.  Bayne  propose  to  bestow  upon  rne,  and  I  thank 
you  both  with  all  my  heart  for  your  kind — too  kind — 
appreciation  of  my  services  to  Christ  Church.  .  .  . 
But  I  must  ask  you  to  forgive  me  if  I  demur  to 
accepting  this  honour.  Some  time  since,  my  kind 
friend  Dr.  Liddon,  as  I  heard,  proposed  himself 
to  place  an  effigy  of  me  in  the  niche  you  mention. 
At  that  time  I  entreated  that  nothing  of  the  kind 
should  be  done  either  by  him  or  others.  I  have 
not  changed  my  opinion.  In  the  last  few  weeks 
I  have  received  gifts  and  addresses  far  exceeding 
my  expectation  and,  I  fear,  far  exceeding  my  deserts. 


270        Resignation  of  the  Deanery      [ch.  ix 


I  am  more  than  grateful  for  the  good  opinions 
expressed  of  me,  and  I  would  fain  hope  that  the 
honour  you  propose  may  at  least  be  deferred.  After 
a  time  people  will  perhaps  take  a  different  view  of 
what  is  due  to  me,  and  may  think  that  enough  has 
been  done.  You  will  not,  I  am  sure,  think  that 
I  undervalue  your  kind  proposal.  On  the  contrary, 
I  value  it  so  highly  that  I  think  it  goes  beyond 
what  I  deserve.' 

To  this  Sir  John  Mowbray  sent  a  reply,  stating 
fully  the  grounds  of  the  request,  and  Mr.  Bayne 
joined  with  him  in  asking  for  a  reconsideration 
of  the  adverse  decision :  but  Liddell  still  pleaded 
that  he  might  not  be  pressed  laraaOaL  X161V09.  So 
the  matter  rested  for  a  while  ;  but  the  governing 
body  of  Christ  Church  backed  up  the  request  by 
the  unanimous  expression  of  a  hope  that  Dr.  Liddell 
would  not  withhold  his  consent  to  the  execution 
of  the  statue ;  and  in  the  end  he  was  persuaded  to 
waive  his  objections,  and  the  statue  (the  work  of 
Mr.  Dressier)  was  put  into  its  place  in  October  1893. 

He  was  fond  of  occupying  some  of  his  spare 
moments  in  writing  to  old  friends ;  and  several  charac- 
teristic extracts  from  his  letters  are  worth  recording. 
Sir  Thomas  Acland,  his  senior  by  two  years,  was 
engaged  in  writing  a  work  (published  subsequently 
under  the  title  of  Knowledge,  Duty,  and  Faith,  and 
containing  a  summary  of  philosophical  principles  as 
taught  by  great  thinkers,  ancient  and  modern),  and 
he  wrote  in  February  1894,  asking  for  Liddell's 
judgment  on  some  points : 


CH. IXl  Letters  from  Ascot  to  old  friends  271 


*  I  wish  I  could  help  you,'  he  replied,  '  but  the  sum- 
mary of  contents  was  too  brief  and  general  to  enable 
me  to  form  any  conception  of  the  substance  of  the 
treatise.  And  with  regard  to  your  account  of  Logic, 
I  despair  of  saying  anything  worth  sending.  I  fear  I 
share  Mountague  Bernard's  opinion  that,  after  forty, 
Metaphysics  become  distasteful.  I  have  so  long  dis- 
continued any  study  of  Speculative  Philosophy,  and 
am  so  ignorant  of  what  has  been  said  or  written 
by  moderns,  such  as  Herbert  Spencer,  Lotze.  &c., 
that  I  coidd  not  give  any  judgment  worth  a  farthing. 
I  fear  the  present  generation  care  little  for  such 
things,  and  that  any  attempt  to  popularize  them 
would  meet  with  small  encouragement.  I  only 
wonder  at  your  energy  in  continuing  to  pass  specu- 
lative thoughts  through  the  filter  of  your  brain.' 

A  few  random  quotations  from  his  frequent  letters 
from  Ascot  to  Sir  Henry  Acland  may  be  added: 

'  You  say  you  are  "  almost  broken-hearted "  at 
your  want  of  religious  depth  in  faith  and  love. 
This  is  one  of  your  self-tormenting  thoughts,  which 
I  have  often  attempted  to  combat.  Dismiss  such 
dubitations  from  your  mind  whenever  they  arise. 
As  to  love,  I  am  sure  that  there  cannot  be  a  more 
loving  nature  than  yours.  To  feel  yourself  "broken- 
hearted "  for  want  of  love  is  a  proof  in  itself  how 
warm  and  real  is  the  sentiment  in  you.  As  to 
faith,  I  suppose  you  mean  that  the  old  provinces 
of  faith  are  being  invaded  by  conviction  of  new 
facts  inconsistent  with  their  maintenance.  Must  this 
not  be  so  ?  It  is  a  question  whether,  after  a  certain 
age,  it  is  worth  while,  as  a  matter  of  duty,  to  go  into 
such  questions.    I,  for  instance,  do  not  feel  the  least 


272        Resignation  of  the  Deanery      [ch.  ix 


inclination  to  read  the  Gifford  Lectures  by  (I  forget 
his  name),  if  he  attempts  to  solve  transcendental 
questions  by  abstract  reasonings.  The  history  of 
religion  must  be  interesting.  The  philosophy  of 
religion  may  be  barren  and  provoking.  I  have 
been  reading  Scenes  of  Clerical  Life,  by  George 
Eliot.  I  never  read  a  tale  more  profound  and 
striking  than  "Janet's  Repentance."  How  different 
all  our  religious  squabbles  and  doubts  would  be, 
if  such  questions  were  treated  as  she  or  Arthur 
Stanley  treated  them.  But  perhaps  the  tale  would 
excite  you  too  much.  I  did  not  know  she  was  so 
powerful,  and  so  completely  fair  to  all  varieties  of 
religious  thought  and  feeling.' 

'  Have  you  read  Max  Muller  in  the  Fortnightly 
on  Christianity  and  Mohammedanism  ?  A  great 
deal  of  it  is  very  striking  and  very  humiliating.  .  .  . 
His  references  to  the  theological  points  in  the 
Koran  are  very  remarkable.  He  falls  back  upon  the 
character  of  Christ  as  the  point  in  which  there  can 
be  no  comparison.  I  have  always  felt  this.  If  all 
dogmatic  Christianity  crumbled  away,  there  is  the 
Rock  which  never  can  be  moved.' 

'  How  can  it  be  that  men  engaged  in  active  life 
should  not  be  "  entangled  with  this  world  What- 
ever else  Jesus  Christ  was,  he  certainly  was  a  man  : 
one  to  whom  "  nihil  humani  alienum  erat ";  one  who 
consorted  rather  with  publicans  and  sinners  than 
with  spiritual  teachers  ;  one  who  rather  approved 
of  our  trying  to  do  our  duty  in  that  state  of  life 
to  which  we  may  have  been  called,  than  our  trying 
to  solve  insoluble  problems,  and  shaping  our  life 
accordingly.    I  will  look  back  to  my  sermon  on  the 


CH.  IX] 


Selections  from  Letters 


273 


Atonement.  It  is  very  flattering  to  have  a  discourse 
remembered  for  forty  years  !  I  fear  I  do  not  myself 
remember  its  tenor  very  accurately.  Old  Gaisford 
said  he  never  remembered  a  sermon  "  after  Wednes- 
day." ' 

'  I  sympathize  with  the  anti-gambling  people. 
If  horse-racing  could  be  practised  without  betting 
and  swindling  and  all  its  vile  concomitants,  well 
and  good.  But  this  I  fear  is  impossible.  It  is 
no  use  for  Lord  Derby,  or  the  Duke  of  Portland, 
or  Lord  Rosebery,  to  run  their  horses  "  square," 
without  betting.  The  wretched  subordinates,  and 
all  who  follow  in  their  train,  bet  and  court  ruin. 
Ought  I  to  let  my  house  for  the  races  ?  I  never 
doubted  it  before,  but  I  have  some  qualms.' 

'Do  you  mean  to  subscribe  to  the  Huxley 
memorial  ?  If  so,  I  think  you  had  better  join  the 
committee.  It  is  quite  true  what  you  say  about 
Christianity.  But  I  think  the  true  Christian  spirit 
is  best  evinced  by  recognizing  what  is  good  in  every 
man  and  every  system.' 

'  I  have  been  delighted  by  reading  The  Relief  of 
Chitral,  by  the  two  brothers  Younghusband.  I 
have  also  been  reading  Lord  Roberts'  Forty-one 
Years  in  India  with  the  greatest  satisfaction.  If 
you  have  not  read  it,  pray  get  it  without  delay. 
It  is  a  simple,  unpretending  record  of  good,  hard 
work,  and  makes  one  proud  to  think  that  we  have 
such  men.  Incidentally  we  learn  much  of  others 
of  even  greater  note,  especially  John  Nicholson, 
who  was  a  true  hero.  .  .  ,  These  are  the  sort  of 
books  that  give  me  pleasure.  Philosophy  and,  I 
must  add,  theology  have  no  delights  for  me.' 

N  n 


274       Resignation  of  the  Deanery      [ch.  ix 


'  How  fast  the  leaves  are  falling !  Old  George 
Richmond  and  old  George  Anthony  Denison  gone 
in  one  day.  They  were  both  honest,  genial,  lovable 
men  ;  Denison  perhaps  too  positive  and  too  sarcastic 
to  deserve  the  last  epithet.  He  was  very  violent, 
but  transparently  honest ;  and  that  covers  a  multitude 
of  shortcomings.  To  you,  of  course,  the  death  of 
George  Richmond  is  far  the  most  heart-touching. 
And  indeed  the  character  and  manner  of  the  man 
must  nearly  touch  all  who  knew  him.  The  notice 
in  the  Times  is  fair,  but  not  enthusiastic.  Well, 
we  are  all  going  the  same  way,  and  our  time  for 
"  crossing  the  bar "  cannot  be  far  removed.  .  .  . 
I  have  been  reading  Manning s  Life,  a  painful  book. 
I  think  we  are  better  off  at  home  than  under 
a  supposed  infallible  guide,  who  seems  only  to  irritate 
and  promote  disunion.' 

'What  a  curiously  obscure  poem  is  Keble's  Sunday 
after  Ascension !  Who  could  imagine  that  "  down  " 
in  line  two  means  "  thistle-down  " And  then  one 
is  not  disposed  to  be  grateful  to  earth  for  fostering 
such  down  as  produces  thistles.  The  rest  is  more 
and  more  involved  and  obscure.  Then  one  turns 
to  Whitsunday,  and  lo !  all  is  clear,  simple,  and 
bright  as  crystal.  I  remember  Hawkins  of  Oriel 
saying  to  a  young  lady  who  was  ecstatic  over  the 
Christian  Year — with  his  chin  up  and  his  eyes  half- 
closed,  more  suo, — "  Do  you  understand  him  ?"  She 
might  have  answered,  "  Many  things  I  understand 
and  love ;  other  things  are  like  sayings  of  St.  Paul, 
— hard  to  be  understood."  But  I  must  confess 
that  the  clear  and  beautiful  passages  are  far  less 
numerous  than  the  obscure.    I  have  lately  found 


CH.  IX]    Criticism  on  the  'Christian  Year'  275 


a  copy  which  was  given  me  by  Henry  Jeffreys  in 
1834.    That  was  the  tenth  edition.' 

'  I  have  no  doubt  that  Ireland  is  "dear,  romantic, 
and  green."  But  in  what  respect  is  it  "  misunder- 
stood" }  It  has  been  the  prey  of  parties  who  did  not 
try  to  understand  it,  but  merely  used  it  for  their  own 
purposes.  Since  Pitt's  time,  to  the  present  day 
almost,  this  has  been  going  on,  and  no  doubt  this 
game  of  shuttlecock  has  complicated  the  task  of  its 
honest  rulers  fatally.  It  is  very  surprising  that 
the  elections  to  small  offices  should  be  so  entirely 
one-sided  :  anti-Catholic  in  the  north,  anti- Protestant 
in  the  greater  part  of  the  island.  But  why  did  the 
Catholics  choose  Wolfe  Tone  and  Lord  E.  Fitzgerald 
(both,  I  believe,  Protestants)  for  their  chiefs  at  the 
end  of  the  last  century  ?  And  why  in  one  day  did  they 
submit  to  Parnell  so  implicitly,  while  now  they  are 
divided  into  three  Catholic  sections  ?  I  confess  it 
is  hard  to  understand  such  things  ;  and  if  that  is 
what  you  mean  by  "  misunderstood,"  I  am  with  you  : 
but  I  do  not  think  this  is  what  you  mean.  You 
mean,  do  you  not,  that  the  English  do  not  under- 
stand them  ?  Is  not  this  due  to  the  priests  ?  In 
Carlow,  where  I  have  stayed,  the  same  repulsion 
does  not  exist,  at  least  not  to  the  same  extent  as 
you  found  it  in  Mr.  Trench's  country.  And  if  you 
speak  to  Livingstone  you  will  find  a  very  different 
state  of  things  in  that  part  of  the  west  in  which 
he  lives. 

'  I  think  it  is  a  pity  that  our  Irish  Church  did  not 
avail  itself  of  the  opportunity  to  make  some  greater 
alterations  in  the  Liturgy.  The  high  doctrines  of 
the  sacraments  might  well  have  been  relaxed,  and 

N  n  2 


276        Resignatio7t  of  the  Deanery      [ch.  ix 


with  such  relaxation  much  of  the  sacerdotal  stiffness 
of  Pusey,  &c.,  might  have  been  abated.' 

'  I  do  not  think  that  it  can  be  fairly  said  that 
Judaism  was  the  parent  of  Christianity.  It  was 
in  distinct  opposition  to  the  prevailing  Judaism  that 
Christianity  asserted  itself,  resting  rather  on  Gentile 
tendencies  than  on  Jewish.  St.  Paul  cast  aside 
Judaic  principles  altogether;  and  St.  Peter  was 
instructed  to  do  the  same,  though  he  followed  his 
instructions  rather  imperfectly.' 

'  As  to  your  worry,  I  will  tell  you  what  I  used 
to  do  about  disagreeable  matters.  I  never  opened 
a  letter  arriving  late  in  the  day,  for  I  could  not 
afford  to  lose  my  sleep  by  speculating  on  how 
I  should  reply  to  a  perplexing  question.  If  the 
letter  or  question  was  future  or  contingent,  I  thought 
it  over  in  the  day-time,  and  wrote  a  draft  letter.  This 
I  put  in  my  desk,  and  let  it  lie  there  till  it  was  wanted. 
This  enabled  me  to  put  the  thing  aside  ;  for  having 
written  my  letter,  so  far  as  my  information  went, 
I  found  it  useless  to  speculate,  and  so  did  not  bother 
myself  at  night.' 

On  July  23,  1896,  the  golden  wedding  was  cele- 
brated at  their  Ascot  home.  It  was  a  bright  summer 
day,  and  many  old  friends  from  all  quarters  gathered 
together  there  to  give  their  greetings  and  to  show 
their  affectionate  regard  for  the  Dean  (as  they  would 
still  call  him)  and  Mrs.  Liddell. 

Among  the  numerous  presents  was  a  picture  sent 
by  Mr.  Hamilton  Aide,  accompanied  by  the  following 
words : 


CH.  IX] 


^Crossing  the  bar' 


277 


'  I  hope  it  is  not  inappropriate  to  ask  your  accept- 
ance of  "  A  Golden  Sunset "  or  at  least  the  attempt 
to  portray  one,  in  which  the  grey  mists  that  troubled 
the  city  were  being  absorbed  in  the  tranquil  glory 
of  the  sky.  Such  I  believe  is  the  evening  of  your 
married  life,  and  such  may  it  continue,  for  your 
family  and  friends.' 

Dr.  Liddell  replied  : 

'  Allow  me,  in  my  own  name  and  that  of  my  wife, 
to  thank  you  most  sincerely  for  your  beautiful  sym- 
bolical drawing.  So  long  as  I  live — it  cannot  be 
long — I  shall  look  on  it  with  delight,  though  I  feel 
that  the  golden  glow  will  gradually  fade  into  dark- 
ness. I  only  hope  that  the  twilight  may  be  short, 
and  that  I  may  "cross  the  bar"  before  the  glow  has 
quite  vanished.' 

That  hope  was  fulfilled.  He  lived  for  eighteen 
months  longer,  without  experiencing  more  than  the 
gradual  failure  of  power  which  accompanied  advanced 
years.  The  end  came  as  he  had  desired,  quite 
suddenly  and  painlessly,  on  the  evening  of  January 
18,  1898,  and  next  day  the  big  bell  in  Tom  Tower 
announced  to  all  Oxford  that  their  old  Dean  had 
gone  to  his  rest. 

His  body  lies,  as  he  had  desired  that  it  might, 
close  by  the  grave  of  his  daughter  Edith,  in  the 
peaceful  precincts  of  the  cathedral  at  Christ  Church, 
under  the  shelter  of  the  southern  wall  of  the 
sanctuary.  A  Cornish  granite  cross  marks  the 
spot,  and  upon  the  wrought-iron  gate  leading  to 
it,  through  the  Slype,  from  the  eastern  cloister,  are 


278       Resignation  of  the  Deanery      [ch.  ix 


placed  his  armorial  bearings.  Within  the  church, 
beneath  the  memorial  to  his  daughter,  is  fixed 
a  brass  with  this  inscription  : — 

Dilectissimam  juxta  filiam  sepultus  est 
Henricus  Georgius  Liddell 
Hujusce  ^dis  Alumnus  mdcccxxx— MDCCCXLVI 
Decanus  mdccclv— MDCCCXCi 
AcademicC  ornamentum  fautor  litterarum 
Ecclesiae  Cathedralis  in  pristinum  decorem  restitutor 
Qui  post  labores  otio  tandem  perfructus 
Efflavit  animam 
Januarii  die  xvm°  MDCCCXCvni. 


In  the  long  series  of  rulers  of  Christ  Church 
Dean  Liddell  will  always  hold  a  distinguished  place. 
Other  famous  Deans  will  naturally  challenge  com- 
parison with  him.  Prominent  among  them  is  John 
Fell,  who  came  after  the  tumult  of  the  Civil  War 
and  the  desolation  inflicted  upon  Oxford  under  the 
Commonwealth,  Fell  was  a  man  of  large  views 
and  imperious  will ;  a  divine,  a  scholar,  and  a  wise 
patron  of  learning.  To  him  is  due  the  restoration 
and  completion  of  the  chief  buildings  of  the  college. 
But  he  was  over-masterful  and  arbitrary ;  his  rule 
belonged  to  an  age  when  the  sword  had  been 
scarcely  sheathed,  and  rough  and  ready  methods 
of  enforcing  authority  and  guiding  opinion  were 
adopted  and  approved. 

Dean  Aldrich,  who  came  almost  immediately  after 
Fell,  was  a  man  of  peace  and  culture ;  scholar, 
architect,  musician,  philosopher  :  illustrating  his 
office  in  all  sorts  of  ways,  but  happiest  among 
his  books  and  with  his  incessant  pipe ;  '  humble 


THE  GATE  IN  CHRIST  CHURCH   CLOISTERS  LEADING  TO 
DEAN    LIDDELL'S  GRAVE. 

To  /ace  page  27S. 


CH.  IX]       Estimate  of  Dean  Liddell  279 


and  modest  to  a  fault,'  as  Hearne  describes  him, 
yet  making  others  happy  by  his  gentle  and  kindly 
sway. 

Another  great  name  is  that  of  Atterbury ;  but 
Atterbury  was  only  for  a  short  time  Dean ;  his 
fame  at  Christ  Church  is  principally  associated  with 
his  life  as  a  student.  He  was  a  restless,  over- 
bearing chief;  and  Smalridge,  who  succeeded  him 
at  Carlisle  and  Oxford,  complained  that  his  first 
duty  at  both  places  was  to  quench  the  fires  which 
his  predecessor  had  kindled. 

Cyril  Jackson  was  a  grand  personage  ;  perhaps 
the  most  remarkable  and  the  most  successful  in  the 
long  line  of  Deans.  He  knew  how  to  win  and  retain 
the  confidence  of  the  great  families  of  England  ; 
Christ  Church  was  never  more  famous  or  more 
popular  than  in  his  time ;  and  he  took  a  lively 
and  helpful  interest  in  the  work  and  careers  of  his 
undergraduates,  encouraged  them  to  do  their  best, 
followed  them  in  their  after-life  with  generous 
sympathy,  and  did  not  forget  their  merits  when 
occasion  came  to  recommend  men  for  promotion. 
He  evoked  the  enthusiastic  loyalty  of  members 
of  Christ  Church  by  his  splendid  loyalty  to  their 
House,  and  his  statue  in  the  library  is  a  fitting 
memorial  of  their  deep  affection  for  him. 

Of  Dean  Gaisford's  sterling  merits  it  will  not  be 
necessary  to  speak :  his  work,  and  the  character  of 
his  rule,  have  been  already  described. 

Dean  Liddell,  as  we  have  seen, — if  this  brief 
memoir  has  not  failed  in  its  purpose — may  worthily 


28o       Resignation  of  the  Deanery 


rank  with  the  greatest  of  his  predecessors,  in  regard 
to  learning  and  intellectual  power.  His  devotion  to 
Christ  Church  was  unsurpassed  ;  his  services  to  it 
were  singularly  great  and  various;  and  his  majestic 
bearing,  high  authority,  and  unswerving  rectitude 
raised  him  to  a  very  lofty  position  among  the  rulers 
of  Oxford.  Humble  and  reverent,  not  caring  for 
or  seeking  praise,  he  lived  a  long  life  of  singular 
integrity ;  he  might  have  been  assigned  a  higher 
place  than  any  of  his  predecessors,  if  he  could  have 
thrown  off  his  shyness  and  reticence,  and  allowed  him- 
self to  show  and  express  how  warmly  he  shared  the 
interests  of  those  over  whom  he  was  set,  how  keenly 
he  rejoiced  in  their  successes,  and  how  eagerly  he 
desired  to  encourage  their  efforts  and  to  repress  with 
a  strong  hand  the  idleness  and  extravagance  which 
in  every  generation  are  apt  to  prevail  among  the 
wealthier  undergraduates  of  our  Universities. 

Assuredly  it  may  be  asserted  that  as  his  term  of 
office  was  unequalled  in  duration,  so  it  was  un- 
equalled in  importance.  He  witnessed  and  guided 
the  transition  from  the  old  to  the  new  Christ 
Church  ;  and  has  left  a  lasting  memory  of  a  rule 
marked  by  august  dignity,  by  strenuous  labours, 
and,  above  all,  by  dauntless  equity. 


INDEX 


ACLAND,  Sir  Henry  W.,  28,  30, 45, 
50,  79  n.,  117,  130,  151,  196, 
210,  212,  215,  246,  257,  262. 

 Sir  Thomas  Dyke,  258;  his 

work,  Knowledge,  Duty,  and 
Faith,  270, 

Aide,  Mr.  Hamilton,  276. 

Albert,  H.R.  H.  Prince,  97,  100, 
120,  176,  255  ;  appoints  Dean 
Liddell  Domestic  Chaplain,  53. 

Aldrich,  Dean,  231,  278. 

Anglesea,  252. 

Anson,  Sir  William  R.,  239. 

Arnold,  Dr.,  35,  97,  I19. 

Ascot,  268. 

Athol,  Duke  of,  23. 

Atterbury,  Dean,  87,  279. 

Bagley  Wood,  251. 

Bagot,  Bishop,  135. 

Bamborough  Castle,  154. 

Barnes,  Dr.,  135,  183. 

Bayne,  Rev.  T.  V.,  164, 168  n.,  269. 

Baynes,  R.  E.,  168  n. 

Bernese  Alps,  83,  84. 

Billing,  Mr.,  154. 

Binchester,  i. 

Biscoe,  Rev.  Robert,  14,  24. 
Bishopton  Grove,  2. 
Blomfield,  Bishop,  10,  53. 
Boldon,  2. 

Boyle,  Dean,  extract  from  his 
Recollections,  56. 

O 


Bradley,  Dean,  21. 

Bright,  Dr.  W.,  183,  236,  237. 

Brooke,  Rev.  Stopford,  235. 

Brown,  Rev.  W.  L.,  30. 

Bruce,  Colonel,  178,  179. 

 Lady  Augusta,  190. 

Buccleuch,  Duke  of,  his  Sanitary 
Commission,  100. 

Buckland,  Dean,  62,  64,  87, 91,  95, 
100 ;  letter  on  Dean  Liddell's 
postponement  of  the  meeting  of 
school,  118-20. 

Bull,  Dr.,  59,  136,  182 ;  his  prefer- 
ments, 136  n. 

Burgon,  Rev.  J.  W.,  193. 

Burton,  Dr.,  26;  his  death,  32. 

Cambridge,  27. 

Canning,  C.  J.,  afterwards  Earl 
Canning,  7,  18,  19,  20,  21,  56. 

Cardwell,  Dr.,  210. 

Chamberlain,  Rev.  T.,  155. 

Charlton  Kings,  251. 

Charterhouse  School,  3-10  ;  sys- 
tem of  teaching  at,  6. 

Cheltenham  College,  240. 

Cherwell,  the,  197. 

Christ  Church,  Oxford,  13,  134; 
Chapter,  135-7  ;  students,  137  ; 
report  of  the  Royal  Commis- 
sion, 141 ;  system  of  private 
nomination  to  studentships 
abolished,  143  ;  appointment  of 

O 


282 


Index 


a  body  of  Referees,  144;  Act 
of  1S67,  145;  alteration  of  the 
Deanery,  147  ;  of  the  Cathedral, 
149,  151;  Latin  Prayers,  152; 
sermons,  153  ;  work  of  restora- 
tion, 155-9;  the  Chaplains' 
Quadrangle,  160 ;  the  Great 
Quadrangle,  161 ;  the  Chapter 
House,  163;  list  of  Censors, 
168  n.\  number  of  under- 
graduates, 175  ;  abolition  of 
differences  of  rank,  175;  class 
of  undergraduates,  181 ;  new 
Governing  Body  in  1867,  194. 

Clarke,  Sir  James,  48. 

Cleasby,  Mr.,  205. 

Gierke,  Archdeacon,  Sub-Dean  of 
Christ  Church,  135,  167. 

Cleveland,  Duke  of,  his  Commis- 
sion of  inquiry,  232. 

Clifford,  Mr.  Charles,  140. 

Cockerell,  Professor,  51,  208. 

Coleridge,  Sir  John  T.,  144. 

Conway  estuary,  252. 

Conybeare,  Rev.  C.  R.,  123. 

Corfe,  Dr.,  152,  236. 

Cosin,  Bishop,  motto  over  his 
Library  at  Durham,  26. 

Coxe,  Rev.  H.  O.,  259;  appointed 
Bodley's  Librarian,  200. 

Cramer,  Dr.,  122. 

Curtius,  Georg,  So. 

Dalhousie,  James  Ramsay,  after- 
wards Marq.  of,  17. 
Dampier,  J.  L.,  125. 
Dasent,  Sir  George,  205. 
Deane,  Mr.,  161. 

Denison,  Ven.  George  Anthony, 

19,  274. 
 Henry,  17. 

  Stephen,  17,  18,   48;  his 

estimate  of  Dean  Liddell,  57. 

Denmark,  Crown  Prince  of,  at 
Oxford,  176. 

Desart,  Earl  of,  150. 

Dindorf,  78. 


Douce,  Mr.  F.,  209. 
Dowdeswell,  Dr.,  15,  158. 
Doyle,  Sir  Francis  H.,  17,  21. 
Dressier,  Mr.,  270. 
Drisler,  Professor,  80. 
Dufferin,  Lord,  153  ;  Letters  from 

High  Latitudes,  153  «. 
Dunlop,  Andrew,  14. 
Duppa,  Dean  Brian,  151,  157. 
Durham,  G.  W.  Kitchin,  Dean  of, 

80, 168  n.,176, 180, 198, 203,  207. 

Easington,  20,  22. 

Edinburgh,  22. 

Eldon,  Earl  of,  209,  212. 

Elgin,  Earl  of,  19,  178. 

Eliot,  George,  Sce?ies  of  Clerical 
Life,  272. 

Ellacombe,  Rev.  H.  N.,  on  Dean 
Liddell's  first  University  ser- 
mon, 52  «. 

Emlyn,  Lord,  150. 

Engelberg,  262. 

Farrer,  Dr.  A.  S.,  246. 

Fell,  Dean  John,  154,  161,  231, 

278  ;  his  statue,  164. 
Fellowes,  Mr.  Thomas  Lyon,  12, 

57- 

Felpham,  139. 

Fisher,  Mr.  Herbert  W.,  177,  179. 

 Mr.  Joseph,  210,  214. 

Fishlake,  Mr.,  68  n. 

Fortnightly  Review,  extract  from, 

72  «. 
Foxcombe,  251. 
Frewin  Hall,  176. 

Gaisford,  Dean,  13,  16,  18,  24,  51, 
59,60,66,241,279;  his  hostility 
to  the  first  Oxford  University 
Commission,  128;  his  death, 
131  ;  appointed  Regius  Pro- 
fessor of  Greek,  139. 

Gardner,  Mr.  Percy,  213. 

Gell,   Mr.  Lyttelton,  on  Dean 


Index 


283 


Liddell's  services  as  Delegate 
of  the  Press,  201-5. 
Gibraltar,  Bishop  of,  134,  168  ;  on 
the  changes  in  Christ  Church, 
145- 

Gildersleeve,  Professor,  80. 
Gladstone,  Rt.  Hon.  W.  E.,  15, 

141,  255,  262  ;  his  speech  on 

presentation  of  Dean  Liddell's 

portrait,  238 ;  visit  to  Oxford, 

239  ;  at  Penmorfa,  253. 

 Mrs.,  239. 

Glenlyon,  Lady,  23. 
Goodwin,  Professor,  80. 
Gordon,  General,  his  death,  255. 
  Mrs.,  extract  from  her  Life 

0/ Bttckland,  88. 
  Rev.  Osborne,  150,  168 

176       on  Dean  Liddell's  work 

as  Professor,  53. 
Goulburn,  Dr.,  193. 
Graham,  Sir  James,  63. 
Granville,  Earl,  26,  237. 
Grenville,  Lord,  139. 
Griffiths,  Rev.  John,  236,  237. 

Hamilton,  Walter  Kerr,  17. 

Hampden,  Dr.,  his  appointment 
to  the  Regius  Professorship  of 
Divinity,  32  ;  opinions,  33  ;  ac- 
tion for  damages  against,  38. 

Hardy,  Mr.  Gathornc,  262. 

Harrison,  Benjamin,  17. 

Harvey,  Rev.  H.  A.,  on  Dean 
Liddell,  47. 

Hawkins,  Dr.,  Provost  of  Oriel, 
274. 

Hawkshaw,  Sir  John,  his  scheme 
for  the  drainage  of  the  Thames 
Valley,  197. 

Heidelberg,  27. 

Herkomer,  Mr.,  his  appointment 
to  the  Slade  Professorship,  Ox- 
ford, 213. 

Hermann,  Godfrey,  his  Review  of 
Gottling's  Hesiod,  25. 

Heurtley,  Dr.,  137,  185. 

O 


Hicks-Beach,  Sir  M.,  240. 
Hinds,  S.,  Bishop  of  Norwich,  125. 
Holland,  Rev.  H.  S.,  168  n. 
Holnicote,  258. 
Howley,  Archbishop,  137. 
Hussey,  Rev.  Robert,  182. 
Hymnal,  University,  235-7. 

Icelandic  Dictionary,  publication 
of,  205. 

Iffiey  Lock,  proposed  abolition 

of,  197. 
Irvine,  Rev.  Andrew,  6. 

Jackson,  Dean  Cyril,  139, 141,  279. 

 J.,  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  21. 

 W.,  Bishop  of  Oxford,  139. 

Jacobson,  Dr.,  136,  143,  183. 
James  of  Hereford,  Lord,  240. 

 Rev.  B.  F.,  89. 

Jeffreys,  Rev.  Henry  Anthony,  17, 

25,  275. 
Jelf,  Dr.,  21,  136. 
Jeune,  Very  Rev.  Francis,  125. 
Johnson,  Rev.  G.  H.  S.,  125. 
Jowett,  Rev.  Benjamin,  74,  140, 

185  n.,  197. 

Keble,  his  Sermon  on  National 
Apostasy,  41  ;  his  Christian 
Year,  274. 

Keys,  the  verger,  149  n. 

Kildare,  Marq.  of,  150. 

Kingsley,  Rev.  Charles,  186. 

Kynaston,  Rev.  Herbert,  elected 
High  Master  of  St.  Paul's,  51. 

Lansdowne,  Marq.  of,  96. 

Leighton,  Dr.,  231. 

Leopold,  H.R.  H.  Prince,  at  Ox- 
ford, 177. 

Lewis,  Sir  George  Comewall,  255. 

Lexicon,  Greek-English,  publica- 
tion of,  57,  65,  76;  origin,  66; 
Preface  to  the  first  edition, 
69-7 1 ,  76  ;  arrangement,  72  ; 
O  2 


284 


Index 


progress,  73 ;  reception,  77 ; 
abridgement  for  schools,  76 ; 
number  of  editions,  78. 

Leyden,  Dean  Gaisford  at,  25. 

Liddell,  Albert  Edward  Arthur, 
death  of,  186,  249. 

 Arthur,  his  death,  129. 

 Charlotte,  83. 

 Edith,  her  death,  257. 

 Harriett,  her  death,  48. 

  Henry  George,  his  birth, 

I  ;  parents,  i ;  at  a  private 
school,  2;  Charterhouse,  3-10; 
religious  instruction,  9  ;  confir- 
mation, 10 ;  hatred  of  school, 
10;  reserved  disposition,  12, 
169;  matriculates  at  Oxford, 
13;  life  at  Christ  Church,  14; 
elected  to  Fell's  Exhibition,  14  ; 
nominated  a  Student,  15  ;  mem- 
ber of  the  club  'Ten  Tribes,' 
17;  his  friends,  18,  25,  30; 
Long  Vacation,  19;  gains  a 
Double  First  Class,  21 ;  in  Scot- 
land, 22  ;  his  first  stag,  23  ; 
returns  to  Oxford,  24 ;  studies 
Divinity,  26  ;  pupils,  27,  39,  47  ; 
duties  of  a  College  Tutor,  28 ; 
artistic  tastes,  30,  46,  50;  on 
Dr.  Hampden's  appointment, 
32-6 ;  attitude  towards  Dis- 
senters, 37 ;  on  the  suit  of 
Hampden  v.  Macmullen,  38 ; 
his  Ordination,  40,  49 ;  memo- 
ries of  Cardinal  Newman,  42- 
44  ;  on  the  preaching  of  New- 
man and  Dr.  Liddon,  44;  death 
of  his  sister  Harriett,  48 ;  ap- 
pointed Greek  Reader,  5 1 ; 
Select  Preacher,  52 ;  elected 
White's  Professor  of  Moral 
Philosophy,  53 ;  Censor  and 
Whitehall  Preacher,  53 ;  Do- 
mestic Chaplain  to  H.  R.  H. 
Prince  Albert,  53;  style  of  his 
sermons,  55;  congregations,  56; 
publication  of  the  Lexicon,  57, 


65,  76;  engagement,  58;  ap- 
pointed Headmaster  of  West- 
minster, 60 ;  marriage,  64  ; 
Preface  to  the  first  edition 
of  the  Lexicon,  69-71,  76; 
severe  labour,  74,  79 ;  mode 
of  life,  75  ;  on  Ruskin's  criti- 
cism, 81  ;  his  first  visit  to 
Switzerland,  83  ;  at  Westmin- 
ster School,  86;  reforms,  89; 
difficulties  of  his  position,  94  ; 
system  of  periodical  examina- 
tions, 99  ;  strain  on  his  powers, 
10 1  ;  literary  style,  102;  ser- 
mons to  the  boys,  103,  112; 
his  austere  demeanour,  105, 
169-72;  gift  of  teaching,  106; 
the  challenges  or  examinations 
for  admission,  107  ;  epigrams, 
109  ;  moral  tone  of  the  school, 
no;  his  love  of  exact  truth, 
III  ;  special  school  services, 
III  ;  his  prevention  of  the 
boat-race,  116;  effect  of  the 
outbreak  of  fever,  117;  letter 
from  Dean  Buckland  on  post- 
poning the  meeting  of  school, 
118-20;  his  History  of  An- 
cient Rome,  121  ;  on  Vaughan's 
lectures,  123;  his  labours  on 
the  first  Oxford  Commission, 
125 ;  friendship  with  Stanley, 
125,  183,  189;  death  of  his 
son  Arthur,  129;  appointed 
Dean  of  Christ  Church,  131 ; 
on  the  Professorship  of  Greek, 
140 ;  refusal  to  act  as  Commis- 
sioner, 146  ;  alterations  of  the 
Deanery,  147 ;  restoration  of 
the  Cathedral,  149,  151,  156-9; 
supervision  of  the  work,  154; 
illness,  155;  services,  159; 
other  important  architectural 
viforks,  160-5  ;  his  statue,  164, 
269 ;  enforced  absence,  167 ; 
mode  of  discipline,  168;  on 
Father  ,  174;  on  the  Prince 


\ 


Index 


of  Wales'  matriculation,  177; 
his  delight  in  Stanley's  appoint- 
ment at  Oxford,  182;  death  of 
his  infant  son,  186;  sorrow  at 
Stanley's  appointment  to  West- 
minster, 189,  191;  on  Stanley's 
marriage,  190;  Vice-Chancellor, 
191,231;  his  influence  as  chair- 
man, 194;  interest  in  the  work 
of  drainage,  195;  the  Thames 
Valley  scheme,  196-8;  services 
to  Oxford,  199  ;  Curator  of  the 
Bodleian  Library,  200 ;  Dele- 
gate of  the  Press,  201-5  !  on 
the  publication  of  an  Icelandic 
Dictionary',  205  ;  Curator  of  the 
University  Galleries,  208-14;  on 
Ruskin's  appearance,  215  n.\ 
criticisms  on  Modern  Painlers, 
216;  letters  from  Ruskin,  216- 
22,  222-8  ;  influence  as  Vice- 
Chancellor,  233;  his  interest  in 
the  compilationof  the  University 
Hymnal,  235-7 ;  his  portrait, 
237  ;  on  Mr.  Gladstone's  visit 
to  Oxford,  239;  Council  of 
Cheltenham  College,  24c ;  on 
the  removal  of  Westminster 
School,  243 ;  impartiality  in 
selecting  Headmasters,  245 ; 
his  sermons,  246-8  ;  his  home 
life,  249;  simple  tastes,  253; 
favourite  books,  254 ;  hospital- 
ity, 254  ;  death  of  his  parents, 
257  ;  of  his  daughter  Edith,  257  ; 
of  Dean  Stanley,  259  ;  declines 
the  Deanery  of  Westminster, 
260;  health,  261;  accident  to 
his  foot,  262 ;  caught  in  a  snow- 
drift, 263 ;  various  honours, 
265 ;  letter  on  his  resignation, 
266 ;  retires  to  Ascot,  268  ;  ex- 
tracts from  his  letters  to  Sir 
Henry  Acland,  271-6;  cele- 
bration of  his  golden  wedding, 
276 ;  his  death,  277. 
Liddell,  Rev.  Henry  George,  i. 


Liddell,  Hon.  Henry  T.,  22,  23. 

 Mrs.,  9,  129,  132,  149,  229, 

254,  259,  263,  269,  276;  her 
illness,  ico,  117;  death  of  her 
infant  son,  186. 

 Robert,  4. 

 Sir  Thomas,  i. 

 Thomas,  2. 

Liddon,  Dr.,  191,  235,  236,  269; 

style  of  preaching,  45. 
Lincoln,  E.  King,  Bishop  of,  235. 

 E.  C.  Wickham,  Dean  of,  236. 

 Lord,  18,  19. 

Llandudno,  252. 
Lloyd,  Rev.  C,  168  n. 
Longley,  Archbishop,  144. 
Louise,  H.  R.  H.  Princess,  165  n. 
Luke,  Mr.  G.  R.,  180. 
Lushington,  Dr.,  193. 
Lyon,  Charlotte,  i. 
 Hon.  Thomas,  i. 

Macdonald,  Mr.,  211. 

Macmullen,  Rev.  R.  G.,  his  action 
against  Dr.  Hampden,  38. 

Madeira,  Island  of,  167,  261. 

Manchester,  Jas.  Eraser,  Bishop 
of,  194. 

 Duke  of,  38. 

Marshal],  Rev.  Geo.,  39, 168  «. ;  his 
help  in  the  work  of  the  Lexicon, 
74  ;  his  abridgement  of,  76. 

 Rev.  James,  89 ;   on  Dean 

Liddell's  work  at  Westminster, 
94-101 ;  on  his  literary  style, 
102  ;  on  his  sermons  to  the 
boys  ;  103  ;  on  his  Histoiy  of 
Rojne,  121. 

Melbourne,  Lord,  32,  33,  35. 

Mildert,  Bishop  Van,  2,  16. 

Mill,  Mr.  John  Stuart,  262. 

Mowbray,  Sir  John  R.,  147,  164, 
269. 

Muller,  Professor  Max,  272  ;  on 
Dean  Liddell's  Greek  Diction- 
ary, 72  n.,  80  n. ;  on  his  influence 
as  Vice-Chancellor,  233. 


286 


Index 


N^Iaton,  M.,  262. 

Newcastle,  Duke  of,  18. 

Newcastle-on-Tyne,  2. 

Newman,  Cardinal,  33,  37,  41  ; 
his  pamphlet.  Elucidations  of 
Dr.  Hampden's  Theological 
Statements,  34  ;  his  influence, 
42  ;  sermons,  43  ;  style  of  his 
preaching,  44. 

 W.  L.,  240. 

Newton,  Sir  Charles  T.,  27,  30, 

133,  140,  151. 
Nicholson,  John,  273. 
Nuneham  Park,  164. 

Ogilvie,  Dr.,  137,  185. 

Orme's  Head,  Great,  252. 

Owen,  Dean,  231. 

Oxford.  University  Commission 
of  1850,  125;  Commissioners, 
125;  recommendations,  1 26, 127; 
Commission  of  1877,  145  ;  es- 
tablishment of  non-collegiate 
students,  198;  University  Gal- 
leries, 208  ;  collection  of  pic- 
tures, 209  ;  work  of  cataloguing, 
210;  classes,  211;  lectures  of 
Mr.  Ruskin,  211;  appointment 
of  six  additional  Curators,  212  ; 
University  Hymnal,  compila- 
tion of,  235-7 ;  Tests  Act  of 
1871,  233. 

Paget,  Sir  James,  on  the  death  of 

Edith  Liddell,  257. 

 Mr.,  afterwards  Dean,  17 1. 

Palmer,  Archdeacon,  202. 

  Sir  Roundell,  144. 

Palmerston,  Lord,  131,  134,  139, 

140,  160. 
Passow,  F.,  his  Lexicon,  67. 
Pattison,  Rev.  Mark,  202. 
Peel,  Sir  Robert,  35,  56,  63,  100, 

255. 
Penmorfa,  252. 
Phipps,  Colonel,  114,  115. 


Powell,  Rev.  Baden,  125. 

 F.  York,  206,  207. 

Price,  Rev.  Bartholomew,  240. 

Prothero,  Mr.,  his  memoir  of 
Dean  Stanley,  190  n. 

Prout,  Rev.  T.  J.,  168. 

Pusey,  Dr.,  27,  33,  41,  135, 136  n., 
185,  186,  23s  ;  on  the  reform 
of  the  constitution  of  Christ 
Church,  143  ;  on  a  Roman  con- 
troversialist, 172  ;  on  the  death 
of  Dean  Liddell's  infant  son, 
187. 

Quarterly  Review,  extract  from, 
68  n. 

Radley  station,  263. 
Randolph,  Dr.,  51. 
Ravensworth,  Baron,  i. 

 Earl  of,  22,  27. 

Rawlinson,  Rev.  Geo.,  210. 
Redesdale,  Lord,  240. 
Redmarshall,  2. 
Reeve,  Mrs.,  258. 
Rich,  Rev.  J.,  62. 
Richmond,  George,  274. 

  Sir  William  B.,  253. 

Rigaud,  Rev.  Stephen  J.,  89. 
Ripon,  3. 

Roberts,  Lord,  Forty-one  Years 

in  India,  273. 
Robinson,  Alfred,  202. 

 Sir  J.  C,  212. 

Rome,  85. 

Rome,  History  of  Ancient,  121. 

Rost  and  Palm's  Greek-German 
Lexicon,  80. 

Ruskin,  Mr.,  30;  his  opinion  of 
Dean  Liddell,  30,  81 ;  on  the 
Cathedral  of  Christ  Church, 
Oxford,  150;  appointed  first 
Slade  Professor  of  Fine  Art, 
211;  his  lectures,  211,  229; 
appearance,  215  n.\  letters  to 
Dean  Liddell,  216-22,  222-8. 

Russell,    Dr.,    Headmaster  of 


Index 


287 


Charterhouse,  4  ;  the  '  Bell  and 

Lancaster'  system,  5. 
Russell,  Lord  John,  1 14. 
Ryle,  Bishop,  27. 

Salisbury,  Bishop  of,  202. 

 Marquess  of.  Chancellor  of 

Oxford,  232 ;  letter  from  Dean 
Liddell  on  his  resignation,  266. 

Salwey,  Rev.  Herbert,  168  n. 

Sampson,  Rev.  E.  F.,  168  265. 

Sandford,  Rev.  C.  W.,  168  n. 

Saunders,  Rev.  Augustus  Page, 
19,  22,  60. 

Schneider,  Professor,  67  ;  his 
Greek-German  Lexicon,  68. 

Scott,  Dr.,  Headmaster  of  West- 
minster, 117. 

 Mr.  G.  Gilbert,  155,  159. 

 Rev.  Robert,  25,  27,  84,  140, 

258 ;  his  share  in  the  work  of 
the  Lexicon,  65 ;  accepts  the 
college  living  of  Duloe,  71  ; 
his  death,  78. 

Scrope,  Deers/alking,  24  n. 

Selborne,  Lord,  145. 

Sewell,  Rev.  William,  66. 

Sherbrooke,  Viscount,  22. 

Short,  Rev.  Thomas  Vowler,  13. 

Shotesham  Rectory,  12. 

Shuttleworth,  Dr.,  33,  34. 

Smalridge,  Dean,  279. 

Smith,  Mr.Goldwin,  124,  125, 178, 
246  ;  his  lectures  to  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  179. 

■  Henry  J.  S.,  202,  236. 

 Lady,  258. 

 Dean  Samuel,  13,  16. 

Sneyd,  Rev.  L.,  138,  208. 

Somerset,  Lord  Fitzroy,  30. 

 ■  Lord  Granville,  63. 

Southchurch,  2. 

Stainer,  Dr.,  236. 

Stanley,  Dean,  88,  235, 242;  Secre- 
tary of  the  Oxford  University 
Commission,  125  ;  friendship 
with   Liddell,  125,  183,  189; 


appointed  Regius  Professor  of 
Ecclesiastical  History,  182 ; 
his  influence,  184  ;  sermon  on 
the  evils  of  controversy,  185  ; 
letter  on  the  death  of  Dean 
Liddell's  infant  son,  186;  pre- 
face to  his  Collected  Essays, 
188;  Dean  of  Westminster,  189; 
marriage,  190;  nominated  Select 
Preacher,  192  ;  death,  259. 

Staverton  Vicarage,  136. 

Stockton,  2,  20. 

Strathmore,  Earl  of,  I. 

Studley  Royal,  3. 

Sunderland,  2,  20. 

Tait,  Archbishop,  125. 
Talbot,  Edw.  Fitzroy,  31. 
Talboys,  Mr.,  66. 
Teesdale,  Major,  178. 
'  Ten  Tribes,'  17  ;  list  of  members, 
17- 

Tennyson,  Hallam,  Lord,  letter 
from  Dean  Liddell  to,  20. 

Thackeray,  W.  Makepeace.  8. 

Thames  Valley,  the  work  of  drain- 
age, 196-8. 

Thompson,  Dr.,  Master  of  Trin. 
Coll.,  Camb.,  204. 

 Rev.  H.  L.,  168  n. 

Thynne,  Lord  John,  89. 

Trench,  Dean,  243. 

Trill  Mill  stream,  165. 

Twisleton,  Hon.  Edward,  144. 

University  Galleries,  208. 

Vaughan,  Henry  Halford,  17,  20, 
21,  27,  35  37,  66,  127,  130; 
Professor  of  Modern  History, 
123;  his  lectures,  123  ;  resigns 
the  Professorship,  124;  appear- 
ance, 124. 

Veitch,  Dr.,  G^  eek  Verts,  Irregu- 
lar and  Defect i%)e,  80. 

Veysie,  Rev.  Daniel,  16. 

Vigfusson,  Gudbrand,  205  ;  his 


288 


Index 


Icelandic  Dictionary,  206  ;  his 
death,  206 ;  memorandum  in 
Bishop  Gudbrand's  Bible,  207. 

Wales,  H.  R.  H.  the  Prince  of, 
placed  under  Dean  Liddell's 
charge  at  Oxford,  54,  176; 
his  matriculation,  177  ;  attends 
lectures,  179. 

Wallace,  Professor,  269. 

W  arner,  Rev.  W.,  168  n. 

Watkinson,  Mr.,  4. 

Watts,  Mr.,  his  portrait  of  Dean 
Liddell,  237. 

Weare,  Rev.  T.  W.,  60,  90. 

Wellesley,  Dr.,  210. 

Wellington,  Duke  of,  112. 

Wells,  Dean  of,  240. 

Wemyss,  Earl  of,  28,  131,  151 ; 
on  Dean  Liddell,  46. 

Westminster  School,  60,  86 ;  con- 
dition of,  61  ;  teaching  staff, 
61 ;  reforms,  89 ;  construction  of 
new  rooms,  91  ;  life  of  the  boys, 
93 ;  food,  93 ;  restoration  of 
the  Play,  96 ;  question  of  its 
removal,  98,  120,  243;  move- 


ments checking  its  prosperity, 
97-101  ;  system  of  periodical 
examinations,  99  ;  effect  of  the 
outbreak  of  fever,  100,  117  ;  ex- 
aminations for  admission,  107; 
moral  tone,  no;  Latin  Play, 
113;  the  boat-race,  116;  elec- 
tions to  scholarships,  241-3, 

Whickham.  living  of,  12. 

Williams,  Hervey  Vaughan,  96 ; 
his  death,  112. 

 Mr.  Justice  Vaughan,  130. 

Williamson,  Dr.,  1 16, 1 19 ;  resigns 
the  Headmastership  of  West- 
minster, 60. 

Wilson,  Rev.  J.  M.,  183  ;  letter 
from,  122. 

Wood,  Sir  Wiiliani  Page,  144. 

Woods,  Dr.,  on  Dean  Liddell's 
services  as  Curator  of  the 
University  Galleries,  208-14. 

W^ordsworth,  Charles,  17,  27. 

Wykeham  House,  177. 

Wytham  Park,  251. 

York,  Archbishop  of,  63,  192. 
Younghusband,    The    Relief  of 
Chitral,  273. 


OXFORD :    HORACE  HART 
PRINTER  TO  THE  UNIVERSITY 


'I 


